The Ties That Bind Part II
by transmutejun
Summary: This is Part II in my three part Ties That Bind Series. Now that the Science Ninja Team has been activated, can Red Impulse continue to stay true to his other allegiances?
1. Chapter 1

**The Ties That Bind, Part II**

_This is part II of my three part story: The Ties That Bind. This story is in the same AU as my fics It's Not Easy Being Green, Turning Point, and my Discover/Recovery/Reconciliation trilogy. These other stories are referenced in this fic, but it's not necessary to have read them. _

Chapter 1

Red Impulse checked his watch impatiently for the fourth time in the last quarter hour. He wanted to hit something, but he was standing inside an underground tunnel carved out of solid rock, which didn't offer much in the way of targets. As it was, it was risky for him to even be waiting around like this. Masaki and Oniishi would want to know where he was; perhaps even start looking for him. The dark clothing he was wearing to hide his body and his identity would matter little then.

Just as he was about ready to leave, the Colonel heard the sound of footsteps. Whoever was approaching was making no effort to be silent, and neither were they hurrying themselves.

Red Impulse rolled his eyes in the dark. He hadn't wanted to come to this meeting in the first place. He would have preferred to remain anonymous, but when Sosai had insisted that he be here, the Colonel had had no choice but to obey his Master.

A light was visible now, bobbing along the corridor as the person controlling it moved forward. The Colonel groaned softly to himself. What was the point of holding this clandestine conference in a secret location if the man he was convening with did not take even the most simple of precautions? Again, Red Impulse sighed at the necessity of his attendance at this meeting.

The other man approached, shining his light around and staring futilely into the darkness beyond his circle of illumination.

"He's not here!" the man moaned. "I should have known! Stupid, useless Galactor…"

"I'm here." Red Impulse said coldly, stepping out from the shadows and into the pool of light cast by the man's metallic torch. "In fact, I've been waiting for almost twenty minutes. You're late."

"Pah!" the man waved his hand in a condescending manner. I had important business to attend to…"

"And you think I don't?" the Colonel sneered. "_You_ are the one who insisted on this meeting. Just tell me what you want and let me get on with _my_ business!"

"What?" the man snorted indignantly. "Do you know whom you are speaking to?" He pulled himself together self-righteously, wrapping his purple cape around his body.

"I know _exactly_ who you are, Berg Katse." Red Impulse spat. "You're the man who is wasting my time. Now out with it! Tell me what you want or I'll simply report to Sosai that you refused to speak with me."

Berg Katse seemed to deflate somewhat at the mention of Sosai's name. Red Impulse raked his gaze contemptuously over his nemesis. They had never met in person before, as Sosai had always forbidden such a thing.

Until now.

The Colonel had seen images of Berg Katse in the ISO files, but somehow the Galactor Leader appeared more ridiculous in person. How Nambu would laugh if he knew that the man in charge of the recent attacks on ISO installations was nothing but a neurotic, skinny, lipstick-wearing, cross-dressing, purple lunatic.

"You…" he whispered, the venomous sound at odds with his plump, pink lips. "Agent Black… _You're_ the one Sosai talks to… No wonder…"

Red Impulse leaned back against the wall, outwardly glaring at Berg Katse, but inwardly smirking. So Katse knew of his existence, did he? Clearly the Galactor Leader was not as secure in his position as he liked to appear. Less than a month ago, Katse's title had been elevated to 'Lord of Galactor' by Sosai. Now everyone in the Galactor organization had to address this foppish man as 'Lord Katse', but even this did not appear to reassure the purple-clad mutant.

Perhaps this was because Berg Katse somehow suspected that the black-garbed man he currently beheld would never bow and scrape before him, regardless of whatever title Sosai had bestowed upon his protégé.

"Now, Katse!" the Colonel snapped. The Galactor Leader flinched at Red Impulse's sharp tone.

"It's all because of that damned Science Ninja Team!" Katse said, his words coming out in a nasal whine. "They came from out of nowhere! And that Gatchaman… who is that guy, anyhow?"

As the Galactor Leader continued to rant, Red Impulse couldn't help smiling to himself. His son was apparently good for something after all. Destroying Berg Katse's credibility with Sosai was definitely a worthwhile pastime. Yet the Colonel knew that this couldn't last forever. The Science Ninja Team would have to be destroyed, to ensure that Sosai's plans were not disrupted.

"So why are you talking to _me_ about this?" Red Impulse asked. "Surely this is _your_ problem, and not mine?"

Berg Katse's face turned red, his skin clashing horribly with his purple mask.

"I need your help." he admitted meekly. "When I heard that Galactor had a high-level operative working from within the UN…"

"Actually, I work on my own." the Colonel corrected him. "I make reports to the UN and the ISO, and 'share' information with them, but I act with a fair amount of autonomy."

"I need you to help me defeat the Science Ninja Team." Katse said, waving his hand dismissively at the Colonel's explanation. "Whatever connections you may have, they are _inside_ connections. You can give them information; sabotage them from within."

"Perhaps." Red Impulse nodded thoughtfully, for the first time truly interested in what Berg Katse had to say. "What did you have in mind?"

88888

Joe slammed the door to his trailer as he stormed inside, before throwing himself angrily onto his narrow bed. Damn Dr. Nambu! And damn Ken for being such a pussy and following Nambu's orders all of the time without even bothering to think for himself! The Science Ninja Team had been actively battling Galactor for barely a month, and yet this was the third argument Joe had had with Ken and Nambu about the Bird Missiles. Dr. Wuss and Eagle Buttkisser never wanted to let the Condor use 'excessive force'. Well what the hell did the God Phoenix even have Bird Missiles for, if not for blowing up Galactor mecha?

He wanted to scream curses at the top of his lungs, but settled instead for slamming his fist into the wall. The rickety trailer shook, and a satisfying dent was left behind. Joe grunted in satisfaction.

He looked around the tiny trailer, which was his home away from the ISO. It wasn't much, but it was _his_, and it fit well into his civilian identity of a part-time semi-professional racecar driver. He wasn't happy with having to cut back on his racing activities, but it was necessary to being part of the Science Ninja Team, and fighting Galactor. And that was more important than anything else. More important than car racing. More important than where he lived.

It was even more important than Dr. Nambu's unnecessary restrictions on the use of Bird Missiles.

Not that this made Nambu's strictures any easier for him to bear. Joe needed a break from all of this. He needed to relax.

Unbidden, an image of the Snack J rose up in his mind. Jun had started up the small bar about six months ago, and Joe had found that he enjoyed going there on his free evenings. It was generally quiet, and Jun didn't mind if he took up a barstool or a booth all night while she tended to her customers. He had become an instant 'regular' there, without having to put in the time or social effort that kind of status usually required.

Instinctively, Joe found himself picking up his keys and heading out the door.

He had just sat down in the passenger seat of his car when the thought occurred to him that Ken might be at the Snack J tonight as well. But then Joe realized that this was unlikely, as Ken was broke. He had been running up quite a tab over the past few days, consuming Jun's food and drinks, yet paying her nothing. He was living in his parents' old house on the outskirts of town, operating an air delivery business from the grass airstrip out behind his shack. But for whatever reason, Ken seemed to be perpetually out of money. It was an embarrassment, as far as Joe was concerned. Surely Ken wouldn't have the balls to show his face at the Snack J tonight.

With this thought, Joe turned his key in the ignition, and it wasn't long before he found himself pulling up in front of Jun's bar. He got out of his car and walked inside, past the large letter J that stood outside the establishment, advertising the bar's location.

Inside, as usual, the Snack J had a dark, comforting atmosphere, and Joe went over to the last barstool, nearest the wall. Jun looked up at him as he entered, smiling at Joe as he walked over toward her. She wordlessly brought him a bottle of beer even as he sat down. Joe couldn't help grinning back at her. She had known exactly what he wanted, and had delivered it to him with a quiet, yet pleasant, efficiency.

Perfect.

Joe's head was bent down, but his eyes followed Jun's movements as she served her other customers, cleaned up after them, and gave directions to Jinpei, who was working in the kitchen. For all of her explosives and chemicals expertise, Jun was a lousy cook.

Joe found his body relaxing, and he took a long, slow sip of beer while he slid a few dollars across the bar to pay for his drink. He didn't want to rush things, as he had to make the one drink last all night. As a member of the Science Ninja Team, Joe was always on call, and if he had to go fight Galactor, he needed to have a clear head.

But Joe's relaxed mood disappeared when the door to the bar opened and he saw Ken walking in with Ryu. Joe hunched down lower in his seat, not looking their way. He knew that Ken had seen him, but he hoped that his body language was clearly communicating his desire to be left alone. He didn't want to get into another argument about Bird Missiles. Not now. He had come here to relax and forget about the fight against Galactor, if only for a few moments.

Ken ignored Joe and went toward a seat at the other end of the bar. He and Ryu ordered a meal, and Jun rushed off to the kitchen, to tell Jinpei to prepare their food. She hurried back again, bringing the two men drinks, and casting a longing look in Ken's direction.

But Ken didn't look back.

Joe watched through narrowed eyes as Ken and Ryu ate and drank. After Ryu had finished, he laid some money on the counter, then went off with Jinpei, who had finished his kitchen duties for the night. And yet Ken remained glued to his seat, lingering over his meal.

At first, Joe wondered if Ken had convinced Ryu to pay for his meal, but it became clear that this was not the case as the bar emptied of all other patrons and Jun finally came over to leave a small white piece of paper at Ken's place.

"What's this?" Ken asked, his face screwing up in concentration and bewilderment as he frowned at the white slip.

"It's your tab, Ken." Jun said quietly. "You owe me $59.34 for the last few nights."

"I'm kind of tapped out this month." Ken said, staring down at the counter. "Could you spot me again, Jun?"

Joe was astounded. Ken really had the gall to ask for _another_ extension? Jun had really been pretty generous letting him go on this long as it was.

"I understand, Ken." Jun said softly, putting her hand over his on the bar. "It's okay. You know that you can always come to me when you need anything."

The way she was looking at Ken made Joe's throat tighten uncomfortably. The longing on Jun's face spoke more clearly than words about her feelings for the Eagle. And yet Ken yanked his hand away as if he was repulsed by the simple touch.

"Thanks, Jun." he mumbled, pushing away from the bar and standing up to make a hasty exit. The expression of shock and dismay on Jun's face made Joe angry, and suddenly he found himself moving swiftly to the door, catching a surprised Ken by the arm.

"What do you think you're doing, Ken?" the Condor growled, glaring at the surprised Eagle.

"Oh, so _now_ you want to talk to me." Ken sighed. "First you ignore me, and now you're ready to fight? How much have you had to drink, Joe?"

The Condor saw red. He was ready to plow his fist into the Eagle's face when a soft beeping sound arose from his arm, distracting him from his intended course of action. Joe blinked rapidly, staring at his wrist for a moment before realizing that the same sound was coming from Jun's and Ken's wrists as well.

Ken casually pulled away from Joe, then raised his bracelet to his mouth and spoke.

"This is Gatchaman."

"Gatchaman," came Dr. Nambu's voice, "assemble your team and come to my office."

"We'll be there." Ken acknowledged.

Joe nodded sharply. Whatever his feelings about Ken's rude behavior, this was more important.

Sometimes, it seemed that the Science Ninja Team was the only thing holding them together at all.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The call had been to inform the Team that they were being sent to the island of Jiitta to await further instructions. Apparently, ISO ships were mysteriously disappearing in that part of the world, and Dr. Nambu was deploying the Science Ninja Team to investigate. Of course, the loss of the ships was of great concern, but even more distressing was that the location of their disappearance was not far from the spot where the ISO was just finishing construction on an underwater base and farm: a prototype community that would enhance the life of everyone on the planet, if this experimental project proved to be successful.

However, other than the ships' disappearances, the ISO did not have any leads, so for the moment the Team's orders were to remain on high alert, but otherwise sit tight until Dr. Nambu could give them further directions.

How all of this translated into a trip to the beach, Joe wasn't sure. But everyone else had wanted to go to the popular tourist area, and even the usually stuffy Ken had agreed that if they had to wait around Jiitta Island, the beach was as good a place as any other. When Jun had emerged wearing a tiny red bikini, Joe had readily agreed.

But once they had arrived, Joe had begun to reconsider his decision. It seemed that Ken was feeling badly about his rude treatment of Jun, because he had offered to pilot her and Jinpei around the bay while they water-skied.

And so Joe was now sitting on the beach, ostensibly relaxing, but in reality keeping his eyes glued to a fast-moving speedboat out on the water.

"Ooh, look, is that Jim Morrison?" two girls giggled as the walked by. Joe's eyes flickered over, assessing the pair quickly. They looked good enough, he supposed. But clearly they didn't have anything else to offer.

Yet, how did that make them any different from the girls at the track with whom he had spent more than a few nights?

"Just arrived?" one of the girls asked Joe coyly, while the other simpered behind her friend. "We could show you around…"

"No thanks." Joe answered curtly. "I'm just waiting for my friends." He turned away, hoping that the two would get the message.

"Okay." the girl sighed. "But let us know if you change your mind!" The girls wandered off, casting occasional glances back at Joe as they moved away.

Joe rolled his eyes behind his dark sunglasses, glad to be rid of them. He just wasn't in the mood for that kind of thing right now.

"Hey, who were they?" Ryu asked, wandering over. "You told them you had a friend, right?"

"They're not interested, Ryu." Joe snapped.

"Okay, okay! Touchy!" Ryu replied, moving away to check out other girls sunbathing nearby. "Doesn't mean I can't enjoy the scenery."

Out on the water, the speedboat moved between two ramps, and Jun and Jinpei sailed into the air. Jun's form flew gracefully over the water, but Jinpei was clearly having trouble, and within seconds he was flailing in the water. Even at this distance, Joe felt that he could hear Jun's laughter as Ken circled the boat back around to pick up the boy.

"I can't even do stuff like that!" Ryu moaned. "Man! I couldn't be more bored!"

"Hey, Ryu!" Joe called to the Owl. He had had enough of Ryu's lazy attitude.

"Yeah, Joe?"

"Don't make such a pathetic face. We didn't come here to play."

"Well, yeah, man. I know! But…"

"Hey, I know why I'm here, pal. I'm here to get revenge on Galactor. Hey!"

Joe was distracted by something he saw on the water. He pulled off his sunglasses to get a better look.

"Check it out! What is all that over there?" Joe asked. Everyone on the beach goggled at the sight of an inky blackness spreading out across the Bay's surface.

88888

Red Impulse sat down at his communications station, checking the security monitors to ensure that the chamber was locked and that no one was approaching his position. He had already given Masaki and Oniishi leave for the day, but he wanted to make absolutely certain that there were no witnesses to what he was about to do.

Once he was certain that he was not being observed, Red Impulse entered a series of commands and codes into the computer system, sending a signal into space to bounce alternately off of three different satellites and four Earth-based transmission towers, linking through several high traffic 'noisy' communications lines to lose his message among the millions of other passing around the planet at that moment, all while maintaining the highest degree of secure encoding that Galactor technology could devise. Finally, the communication made its way down far beneath the Earth's surface, to an underground chamber deep beneath the Himalayan Mountains of Tibet, a place so remote that it was known only by the name given to it by Sosai: Cross Karokorum.

After a few minutes, the purple-masked visage of Berg Katse appeared on Red Impulse's screen, and it was to this image that the Colonel addressed his message.

"It is ready."

His words were short and clipped, but the moment they had been uttered, Berg Katse's face broke into a wide smirk.

"Excellent!" he replied smugly. "I am eager to be rid of the Science Ninja Team!"

"Even now, Chief Anderson is summoning them." Red Impulse informed the Galactor Leader. "He is probably devastated by the loss of his base. And since I convinced him to have the Team in the area, they will be ready to follow your decoy submarine as it departs."

"The trap will be sprung!" Katse rubbed his hands together gleefully.

"Remember, their warship has powerful Bird Missiles, but little else." the Colonel warned Katse. "If you have sufficient numbers of attack craft, Gatchaman will run out of options. Also, under no circumstances should you allow the crafts to bunch together, or the Science Ninja Team might use their Firebird Technique."

"It will give me great pleasure to see this Gatchaman and his Science Ninja Team destroyed." gloated the Galactor Leader.

"It will give me great pleasure as well." Red Impulse agreed. Yet his words weren't _entirely_ true. The Colonel's primary emotion was more one of relief. If Ken and his Team were killed, there was no reason for Sosai ever to know that Gatchaman was actually Kentaro Washio Jr. Above all else, Red Impulse wanted to remain in Sosai's good graces. The loss of a worthless son whom he had never wanted didn't pain him at all.

Although… Red Impulse had to admit that he might have been wrong about the boy. There was apparently _some_ worth to him after all, if he could get Katse so riled up. Ken might have made a passable Galactor Officer, at that.

But there was no chance of that now. The boy was under Nambu's thumb, and despite his acceptable fighting abilities, he was soft and weak. Not to mention inexperienced.

It was this particular aspect of the Science Ninja Team around which Red Impulse's plan for their demise was based. Too late, Gatchaman would realize that his ship was outmanned and outgunned.

"So, you are of no further use to me, then." Berg Katse laughed harshly. "Go back to your little flying club, Agent Black, while I tell Sosai of _my_ glorious plan to eliminate the Science Ninja Team."

"What?" the Colonel gasped angrily. "_Your_ plan? This is _my_ plan! Sosai will know that…"

But even as Red Impulse spoke, Berg Katse terminated the communication with a smirk. Too late, the Colonel realized that he had been duped. A cold fear snaked its way around his heart.

No!

Red Impulse had only cooperated with this purple-masked lunatic to show Sosai his true worth! Berg Katse was incapable of leading Galactor! But if Sosai thought that _Katse_ had been the one to destroy the Science Ninja Team…

Red Impulse couldn't let that happen.

88888

It turned out that what Joe had spotted from the beach had been oil rising to the ocean's surface from a leak in the ISO prototype community's oil tanks. Galactor had attacked the base even as the Team had been relaxing on the beach. Cursing under his breath, Joe had run for the beach house where the Team was staying, pulling on his clothes and then rushing to his G-2 vehicle. The others hadn't been far behind.

Dr. Nambu had ordered everyone to scout the area for signs of Galactor, and before long one of the attack subs had been seen heading toward a spot that the locals referred to as the 'Underwater Graveyard'. Within moments, the God Phoenix was headed to the area.

"This is brutal! That Galactor scum!" Joe growled.

Ken instructed Joe to check the sonar, and the Condor ran to the tracking station. Once he had located the submarine, Ken ordered Ryu to set a full speed intercept course. But after a few moments, the submarine shut off its engines. Ken resolved to find it anyway.

"We've come this far, and we're not backing down now!" Gatchaman declared.

A surge of adrenaline rushed through Joe. _This_ was what he wanted: to chase Galactor down and make them pay, no matter how they tried to hide. At that moment, he had no problems with Ken's leadership.

But that feeling instantly dissipated a few moments later when Joe moved to use the Bird Missiles on a Ghost Battleship that was creating an artificial fog to conceal Galactor's activities. Ken grabbed Joe's hand and shouted at him to wait.

"Joe, you ought to know by now that we can't use Bird Missiles without Dr. Nambu's permission!" Ken lectured. Joe grimaced. Not this again! Couldn't Ken see that this Ghost Battleship was clearly a threat? The damn thing had already shot at the God Phoenix!

The Condor rolled his eyes as the Eagle contacted Dr. Nambu, asking for permission to use the Bird Missiles to destroy the fog-making machine. The Doctor hesitated in his response, and Joe's fingers itched to smash through the clear panel covering the red firing button, regardless of what Nambu might say.

_Finally_, after a delay that had been far too long, the Doctor gave the necessary permission, and Ken indicated that Joe should use the Bird Missiles. It was just as well, because the Condor had seriously been considering just using them anyway and damning the consequences.

Full of pent up anger, Joe aimed and pressed the red firing button, sending four missiles into the fiendish device. There was a satisfying explosion, and the fog cleared.

Only to reveal an entire _fleet_ of ships.

All of the ships in the 'Underwater Graveyard' had risen to the surface of the water, and were now confronting the God Phoenix in a menacing fashion.

"All right then! Let's smash them!" Joe shouted. But once again, as he prepared to fire, Ken called out to his second to wait. But this time, the Condor wasn't about to wait.

"To hell with orders! We already got permission from Hakase once, right?" he smirked, even as the clear cover retracted from over the Bird Missile launcher. He pressed the red button twenty-two times in succession, each missile hitting one of the Ghost Ships in the water.

On some level, Joe recognized that he was getting a little too trigger-happy. Back on his seventh birthday, Dr. Nambu had taken him to the shooting range and warned him not to spray bullets everywhere, but to shoot with accuracy.

Well, he was being accurate. Every missile was hitting one of the ships. So what if he could be a little more efficient and take out multiple ships with one missile? Galactor deserved a missile up the ass for every attack vessel they had ever built.

But suddenly, Joe realized that the Bird Missiles weren't the only reason for the destruction of the ships. The vessels were now all exploding of their own accord, before the Science Ninja Team's astonished eyes. And rising to the surface among the wreckage…

A large force of saucer-shaped aircraft.

Each individual plane was small, and hardly worth the trouble to attack with an entire Bird Missile, but Joe saw red. How dare Galactor keep sending more offensive craft at them? Hadn't they learned by now that the Science Ninja Team wasn't going to be put off by their bullying tactics?

The saucers flew into the air, every single one of them shooting lasers at the God Phoenix. Joe instinctively responded again, shooting missile after missile at them, reveling in the fiery explosions they created as each one came into his crosshairs.

Four shots… eight… twelve… fourteen…

And that was all. To his frustration and horror, Joe discovered that all of the Bird Missiles were gone.

The God Phoenix was armed with forty Bird Missiles, and he had shot them _all_.

They were defenseless.

Joe was sweating bullets as he confessed to Ken what he had done. The others gasped, astounded that they were in this predicament at all. They were so rarely allowed to use even one Bird Missile, and yet Joe had fired their entire supply within minutes.

It was as if the Galactor saucers sensed what had happened. More saucers came from out of nowhere, all of them shooting lasers at the God Phoenix. Ryu was able to dodge the attacks, but for how much longer?

The saucers closed in, their laser fire intensifying. In a trembling voice, Ryu asked Ken for instructions.

"To the sea!" Ken ordered, and Ryu obeyed, closing up the God Phoenix's air vents and preparing to dive into the water. But just as they were about to hit the ocean's surface, three more aircraft appeared from out of nowhere.

A trio of bright red fighter jets emerged on the horizon, headed straight for the recently disarmed God Phoenix. But instead of attacking, they split, moving around the large blue warship and facing off directly with the Galactor saucer ships. Missiles shot forth from their launch tubes, quickly taking out many of the Galactor aircraft. A few of the shots got dangerously close to the God Phoenix, forcing Ryu to dodge both the red jets and their missiles.

And yet it seemed that the God Phoenix was not their target at all. Before the astonished Science Ninja Team, the three red fighter jets systematically took out all of the Galactor ships, until all of the saucer-shaped aircraft were gone.

Once the battle was over, the three red jets surrounded the God Phoenix, and an arrogant, mocking laugh came over the communications channel.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Science Ninja Team, I am Red Impulse!" the voice taunted them. "Let's meet again!"

The fighter jets showed off with some aerobatic maneuvers before flying off into the sky, leaving behind five confused ninjas.

"Who the hell was that?" Joe spat.

88888

Red Impulse landed his plane at his Squadron's South Island Base, Masaki and Oniishi's jets close behind him in perfect formation. Their mission had been successful. He had been in time to stop Berg Katse from taking all of the glory for himself.

But at what cost?

Gatchaman and the Science Ninja Team would continue to thwart Galactor's attempts to take over the planet. And to fight Galactor was to fight Sosai… and that was the _last_ thing that Red Impulse wanted.

No… not quite. The last thing the Colonel wanted was to be shunned by Sosai.

And that might happen now, if he did not engage in immediate damage control.

Red Impulse excused himself from his men, making his way to his nearby office to initiate a transmission to Dr. Nambu and submit a report. Once he had contacted the Doctor, the Colonel quickly explained how he and his Squadron had assisted the God Phoenix in this engagement. Nambu bought this version of events without any suspicion on his part at all, imagining Red Impulse's actions to be rooted in concern for his son.

Of course, nothing could have been further from the truth. Convincing Nambu that the Colonel had done the right thing was easy.

But he still had to convince Sosai.

Red Impulse thought through his options briefly. He didn't have much time. He had to contact Sosai right away if he didn't want Berg Katse to pre-empt him. Since all of the Galactor planes had been destroyed, it would be awhile before Katse would be able to learn what had _truly_ happened during this encounter. But not _that_ long.

"Sosai!" Red Impulse called out with his mind.

It only took a moment for the alien presence to enter his mind.

"So, you wish to speak to me?" Sosai asked impatiently. "Be quick about it! I am waiting for a report from Berg Katse!"

The Colonel silently exulted. He wasn't too late! He had gotten to Sosai before Katse had! And he had learned another interesting piece of information: for all that Katse was Sosai's mutant creation, the alien entity had to _wait_ for the Galactor Leader to deliver information. He couldn't simply pick it out of what passed for the purple lunatic's mind. This was to Red Impulse's advantage.

"I must apologize, Sosai." Red Impulse said in a regretful tone. "I was forced to destroy a few Galactor light aircraft today. I was ordered by the UN to assist the Science Ninja Team, and aided in the elimination of a few goon-piloted fighters, lest I become suspect to my superior officers."

"You assisted the Science Ninja Team today?" Sosai asked angrily. "Did you not realize that today is the day that Berg Katse had planned to destroy the Science Ninja Team? I am waiting on word from him at this very moment!"

"Surely this engagement was not Berg Katse's entire plan, Sosai!" Red Impulse protested innocently. "Why, when he asked me for advice, I told him to send a massive mecha to do the job. Surely, after going to all of the trouble to secretly meet with me in person, Berg Katse designed something much bigger than the paltry saucer planes I saw this afternoon!"

Sosai did not immediately respond to the Colonel's words, and so Red Impulse pressed his advantage, knowing that the alien entity was pondering this point of view.

"Why, the God Phoenix didn't really even need my Squadron's help to defeat those few aircraft!" the Colonel added. "I only participated in their destruction because it was expected of me!"

"You advised Katse to use a large mecha to attack the Science Ninja Team?" Sosai asked furiously. At that moment, Red Impulse knew that he had won this round with Berg Katse.

"If what you say is true, then Katse completely ignored your advice!" the alien entity ranted. "He said that he had come up with a plan to use many smaller craft, to force the Science Ninja Team to use up all of their missiles!"

"If that was his plan, then it failed, Sosai." Red Impulse said respectfully, although he was having a difficult time holding back his gloating and maintaining a somber composure. "It is my understanding that the God Phoenix had plenty of ammunition remaining to take out these Galactor forces."

"Berg Katse has a lot of explaining to do." growled Sosai, before the alien presence abruptly left Red Impulse's mind.

Finally, the Colonel allowed himself the freedom to laugh. He chortled and rocked in his chair until his sides ached. Berg Katse had attempted to take full credit for this entire mission, and Red Impulse had handed that usurping mutant a spectacular failure. Best of all, Katse wouldn't be able to refute the Colonel's version of events without exposing his own earlier lies.

Berg Katse had to learn that Agent Black was not to be trifled with. The day would come, and soon, when Kentaro Washio could reclaim his rightful name, and be appointed as Leader of Galactor.

Berg Katse's days were numbered.

88888

Once again, Joe found himself slamming the door to his trailer. This time the thin metal sheet nearly ripped off of its hinges, letting in the howling wind and cold, pelting rain as it bounced back and forth its fragile connection to its frame. But this wasn't enough to satisfy the angry Condor. Furiously, he banged his fists into the wall, causing the trailer to rock back and forth, and creating a number of new dents in the corrugated metal from which it was constructed.

It wasn't enough.

Opening up his mouth, Joe screamed at the top of his lungs, letting out all of the anger and frustration he was feeling. Fortunately, this seemed to temporarily satisfy him, and the thunderous rainstorm outside drowned out the noise, preventing any of his neighbors from overhearing the evidence of his rage.

What a complete fuckup of a mission!

Dr. Nambu had torn into the Condor for using up all of the Bird Missiles. Ken had done nothing to help, but had merely stood back, observing Joe's dressing down via the God Phoenix's communications system. The Eagle had stared reprovingly at Joe, as if to imply that his second officer had thoroughly disobeyed orders, when of course that hadn't been the case at all. Joe had wanted to throttle the great Gatchaman with his bare hands, but had been forced to simply stand there and accept the Doctor's angry reprimand while Jun, Jinpei and Ryu pretended not to be paying any attention to what was going on.

Joe had understood what Nambu had said... and what he _hadn't_ said. Every word the Doctor had uttered had had an underlying implication: Nambu had been right to make Ken the leader of the Science Ninja Team. Joe was too vengeful, too hotheaded, too impulsive…

And right now, this vengeful, hotheaded, impulsive Condor wanted nothing more to do with either of them.

Deep inside, Joe knew that he just had to cool down. He had shot too fast, too soon, without properly aiming the Bird Missiles for maximum efficiency. The carte blanche of being able to use the missiles at all had gone right to his head.

But he didn't need Ken and Nambu lecturing him about it.

Even worse, that strange trio of red jets had appeared from out of nowhere, firing at the remaining Galactor planes as if they were nothing more than flies to be chased away.

Who was this arrogant Red Impulse bastard anyhow? When Ken had brought this very question up with Dr. Nambu, the Doctor had been incredibly tight-lipped about the matter, making Joe even more suspicious.

Of course, that hadn't been the end of the mission. Nambu had ordered the Team to pose as tourists scuba-diving in the ocean waters, so that they could check out the underwater ISO Farm and ensure that Galactor hadn't left anything unsavory, such as a bomb or poison, behind. The only good news in this entire mess was that the base was salvageable, and re-construction efforts were already underway.

Yet when the Team had reached the designated scouting area, everyone had suddenly decided to shirk their duties. Jinpei had played with the local sea turtles, and Ryu had goofed off as usual, while Ken and Jun…

Ken and Jun had been swimming together, barely paying any attention to anything else. It had nearly made Joe ill. How the hell was Ken supposed to be the Team leader if he neglected his duty like this? It had fallen to Joe to perform the scouting work, and it had been Joe who had reported the all clear back to Dr. Nambu. But rather than berate the Eagle for failing to complete his assigned task, Nambu had appeared to feel that this was Joe's just desserts for recklessly shooting all of the Bird Missiles the previous day.

And now, finally, he was home. And yet he still felt lousy. But at least he could be alone.

Yet in contradictory fashion, Joe found that he didn't _want_ to be alone. Almost without thinking, he got into his car and drove the few miles to the Snack J, parking along a side street and walking to the entrance. Before pulling open the front door, Joe glanced inside through the large window there.

Ken was sitting at the bar, eating a sandwich. Jun stood nearby, clearly trying to catch the Eagle's attention, but Ken only had eyes for his food.

It was happening again.

A sour taste suddenly rose up in Joe's mouth. He couldn't watch this anymore. He found himself returning to his car and traveling over to the racetrack, stopping at a bar where he was known in his 'profession' as an occasional racecar driver. He went inside, noting the usual cluster of women looking for someone with whom to spend the night.

Suddenly, a little company didn't seem like such a bad idea.

Joe Asakura approached the group, offering to buy a drink for the 'lady' of his choice.

The one who least resembled the Swan.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Over the past few weeks, Red Impulse had not regretted his decision to assist the Science Ninja Team and prevent Berg Katse from ingratiating himself with Sosai. Since that time, the mutant lunatic had continued to attempt to supply Galactor with resources, and destroy ISO installations, each time being thwarted by Gatchaman and his Team.

One of the most recent blunders Berg Katse had made had been the most pleasing to Red Impulse. That idiot madman had actually gone out in a submarine and attacked an ISO construction site, and then had reported back to Sosai that he had destroyed the Science Ninja Team's new base! Red Impulse had been overjoyed when Kozaburo Nambu had contacted him, informing the Colonel that the base that had been destroyed was actually a decoy, and that the Science Ninja Team's true headquarters had been completed right on schedule. Of course, Red Impulse had not hesitated to contact Sosai and make the alien entity aware of this information, and the resulting verbal lashing Berg Katse had received had been legendary.

Amazingly, Galactor's plans… Sosai's plans… were still moving forward, just not as quickly as they might have been had Berg Katse been doing a competent job.

Incredibly, Red Impulse had done nothing to interfere with Katse's bumbling. The man was making a mess of everything all on his own. After the 'misunderstanding' with the Ghost Ships, Sosai had warned Red Impulse not to make an outward move against Galactor without running it by the alien entity first. This had proven to be slightly inconvenient, but now there was no question that the Colonel was only following his Master's instructions.

Only a few days ago, the Red Impulse Squadron had been ordered to attack a Galactor Scorpion mecha that had plummeted through the Earth's atmosphere, acting as a giant meteorite, before attacking various refineries and power plants. Sosai had approved the order, instructing the Colonel as to which forms of attack would _appear_ to be the most effective, yet remain futile. Red Impulse briefed his team, and the Scorpion mecha had raged about, effectively unchallenged.

Of course, the Science Ninja Team had destroyed the underwater base controlling the Scorpion, and once it had, Masaki had easily been able to eliminate the thing with one well-placed missile.

Fortunately, this series of failures on Berg Katse's part had led to Sosai keeping Red Impulse briefed on every strategy Berg Katse devised. In return, it was the Colonel's responsibility to inform the alien entity if the ISO or UN had gotten wind of Galactor's plans, or had developed any effective countermeasures.

It wasn't too difficult keeping abreast of what was happening with the UN Military Forces, but Red Impulse belatedly discovered that he had less access to the ISO. Kozaburo Nambu made it a habit to be tight-lipped about things, revealing information on a need-to-know basis only, and Red Impulse had to walk a fine line between requesting information, and being so well-informed that his Squadron was sent out to directly engage Galactor mecha themselves.

Fortunately, that task was now more often falling to the Science Ninja Team, which allowed Red Impulse to continue his main objectives of subterfuge and political control in the region of Hontwal. This area of the world was key to control of the entire planet, and Sosai had given Red Impulse free reign to execute his plans for the Hontwal government.

And once he was successful, surely Sosai would see that it was he, Kentaro Washio, who should be the Leader of Galactor.

But for now, Red Impulse was being told to stay away from ants.

"Ants?" he asked Sosai, his tone uncertain.

"Yes." Sosai replied. "Berg Katse is creating an army of them to attack various power plants around the world. Once the resulting chaos ensues, the Earth will have no choice but to bow to Galactor's might. We will have all of the power, and all of the resources."

"So, Berg Katse is back to using small mecha to achieve his goal?" the Colonel chuckled.

"The army of ants will be backed up with a large ant mecha." Sosai informed him. "Berg Katse will lead this attack himself."

"I see." Red Impulse nodded. And he did. Berg Katse was letting a lot ride on this mission, by taking direct command of the main mecha. He could not blame any failures on his subordinates, and would have full responsibility for the ultimate result of his plans.

"Your Squadron will _not_ get involved in this matter." Sosai instructed him. "I want to see what Katse is capable of, without anyone else interfering."

"I understand, Sosai." Red Impulse replied respectfully, and he felt the alien presence leave his mind.

Red Impulse knew that he had to obey Sosai. He had no other choice. But oh, how he longed to see Berg Katse fail! If Katse made a mess out of this mission, that would be a black mark indeed…

But Red Impulse could not interfere. The risk was too great. If Sosai discovered that he had done such a thing, his punishment would be severe.

Sosai might even send him away.

The Colonel could not allow such a thing to happen. Red Impulse would have to sit by on the sidelines for this particular encounter with Galactor.

88888

Joe grimaced to himself as the bright sunlight hit his eyes. He had forgotten his sunglasses in his car, and the rocky desert landscape was unforgiving. He lowered his head to shade his face, keeping his eyes on Jun's red and white striped hips up ahead. That morning she had thrown herself into his arms, when she had been surprised by the appearance of one of Galactor's new mechanical ants. Her reaction had been instinctive, but Joe had been glad that he had been the one whose positioning had been right to take advantage of her shock. Usually it was Ken from whom she sought solace, although from what Joe could see, the Eagle wasn't very appreciative of this fact. Ken always held Jun woodenly on these occasions, and his face would be contorted into an expression of discomfort.

This morning, Gatchaman had evinced only relief when Joe had been the one holding Jun, instead of the Eagle. Ken's reaction had angered the Condor, and it had taken everything within Joe not to let those feelings rise up to the surface. Instead, he had simply kept his arm around Jun in a show of support, doing his best to ignore the Eagle's callous treatment of the Swan. Ken was his best friend, but his cold indifference to Jun's interest in him was something that Joe found difficult to surmount, at times.

"How much farther do we have to go?" whined Jinpei. "I feel like I've been walking forever!"

"It's only been about fifteen minutes, Jinpei." Jun informed the boy. "And we're going to keep walking until we've followed this ant back to Galactor's base."

"However long that takes." Joe added in a menacing tone.

"Would you like to stay with Ryu in the God Phoenix, Jinpei?" Ken asked the Swallow solicitously.

"No way!" The Swallow cried, suddenly moving forward with renewed vigor. Joe caught sight of a small smile on Ken's face. The Eagle _was_ a good leader… most of the time. Except when he got all stubborn about using the Bird Missiles.

Or when it came to being clueless about Jun.

Joe brought his mind back to the matter at hand. Jinpei had been right about one thing. Walking through the desert was tiring. The Condor bent his head a little further downward, and trudged on behind the tiny mechanical ant.

88888

"Sosai!" Red Impulse cried out in his mind. This was urgent! He had to reach the alien entity in time, lest Galactor's plans be destroyed.

"What is it?" Sosai's voice was angry. "This is a most inopportune time!"

"But Sosai, I have important news!" Red Impulse insisted. "I was just speaking with Dr. Nambu from the ISO. He has recovered one of Berg Katse's mechanical ants, and even now the Science Ninja Team are using it to lead them to Berg Katse's base of operations!" The Colonel smirked to himself. He had had nothing to do with this turn of events, but by reporting this discovery to Sosai he was both saving the Galactor operation _and_ making Berg Katse look bad for allowing this to happen in the first place.

"What?" Sosai was outraged. "How did this happen?"

"The Science Ninja Team recovered a damaged ant amongst the wreckage of the power plant." Red Impulse informed the alien entity.

"Berg Katse must be warned!" Sosai declared. "I will tell him immediately. You will stand by and await further instructions."

Red Impulse smirked to himself as the alien entity broke off the communication. Berg Katse had made a mistake, and now Sosai wanted to have the Colonel assist in repairing the resulting damage.

But the damage to Berg Katse's capabilities in Sosai's eyes was far more extensive.

Less than half an hour later, the alien entity contacted Red Impulse again.

"Berg Katse will set a trap to eliminate the Science Ninja Team at his base." Sosai informed the Colonel. "Katse will send out the ant army as a decoy, and then, once Gatchaman and his Team are gone, he will command the giant Queen Ant mecha to destroy our true target."

"That sounds like an excellent plan, Sosai." Red Impulse replied. "What do you need from me?"

"I need you to convince the UN Military Forces to expend all of their resources on defeating the ant army." Sosai said. "The small ants are easily replaced, and with the UN Forces occupied, no one will be able to resist the Queen Ant mecha."

"I will lead the UN Forces myself!" Red Impulse promised.

"Good." Sosai responded. "Then, we shall not let this minor setback prevent us from succeeding at this mission. And if Katse can manage to destroy this troublesome Science Ninja Team in the process, so much the better."

Red Impulse blanched. Damn that purple freak! He was going to get a chance to destroy the Science Ninja Team, and if he did, then there was no chance of Sosai removing Berg Katse from power.

"One more thing;" the alien entity continued, "the Galactor soldiers involved in this mission do not know of your _true_ allegiances. Even Katse does not truly understand that you are allied with me, and only knows of you as 'Agent Black'. He is under strict orders, and will unknowingly maintain that deception. I do not want some incompetent goon speaking too loudly and word of your divided loyalties getting back to the UN."

"This is as it should be, Sosai." the Colonel replied. He exulted at the thought that Sosai valued his abilities enough to protect his identity in this way.

"These are not the usual idiotic goons whom you regularly face. These Galactor soldiers have been instructed to cause as much havoc with the ants as possible, and will not hold back if you get in their way. See that you do not get injured."

"Sosai!" Red Impulse exclaimed delightedly. "I am pleased that you are concerned for me! I will certainly take care."

"I am only concerned for my investment in you." Sosai retorted. "You have proven to be my most valuable agent, and have obtained far better information for me than any of Katse's operatives. See that you continue to serve Galactor."

"I will, Sosai." the Colonel promised. Sosai cared for him! Sosai thought he was valuable! If Berg Katse could be exposed for the true incompetent he was, clearly Red Impulse was the obvious choice to succeed him.

He just had to make it happen.

88888

"Give it all you've got, men!" Red Impulse commanded the UN Forces. "Stake your very honor on not allowing a single robot ant into the city!"

As a motivational speech it wasn't very inventive, but it allowed him to appear to be leading the attack on the ant army. So far, the encounter was going well. Masaki had discovered that flame thrower missiles worked especially well on the small ants, and this information had been passed along to the other planes involved in this battle. Fortunately, the ant army was spread out enough (and the desire to protect the surrounding buildings great enough) that the overall progress continued to be slow going.

Red Impulse checked his data screen. There was a constant readout of general updates on the progress of the fight, and it allowed him to keep tabs on what the Military Forces were doing. So far, they had shown that every available unit was engaged in attacking the ant army.

Except… what was this? The Science Ninja Team was being deployed to attack _another_ mecha?

This couldn't be right. The Science Ninja Team was supposed to be dead. Katse had been instructed to have them eliminated at the base… Of course! Trust the purple mutant to screw up something this important! But Sosai had to be informed of this development right away.

"Sosai, I have urgent news!" the Colonel cried out in his mind, even as his red plane flew over the ant army. "The Science Ninja Team is alive, and they are following the Queen Ant mecha, even as we speak!"

"How can this be?" Sosai snarled, clearly displeased at both the interruption and the message being conveyed. "Berg Katse told me that he eliminated the Science Ninja Team, barely an hour ago!"

"The UN Battle Feeds are reporting that they are alive, and moving to intercept a new, large mecha." Red Impulse refuted the alien's claims. "I am guessing that they escaped whatever trap Berg Katse had set up for them, and are now going after the Queen Ant mecha themselves."

"That seems likely." growled Sosai. "You must get there first! Do _not_ let the Science Ninja Team defeat the Queen Ant! It must complete its objective! I need that mecha to destroy the Aeronautical Research Foundation in Tritan! If the Blue Hawk project is completed…"

"Do not worry, Sosai, I will do everything I can to assist Berg Katse!" Red Impulse declared, and the communication was suddenly terminated. The Colonel smirked to himself.

He would help Berg Katse all right. He would help him fail. And then, Red Impulse would take on the task that Sosai's mutant had left unfinished.

88888

Joe checked his station readings as the God Phoenix flew to the Tritan end of the International Underwater Tunnel. Their plan to use Solar Rays to defeat the Ant mecha was a good one, but until they were successful in their mission, Joe would be unable to relax.

The sun was coming out as they arrived in position. So far, so good. All they had to do now was wait until the mecha emerged…

But it was taking far too long. The tension was beginning to fray the Condor's nerves. Even Ken was cursing the delay. They had checked the weather forecasts over and over, and Jinpei was monitoring a large cloud mass that was approaching their position. Joe only hoped that they could eliminate the Queen Ant mecha before the clouds arrived and blocked out the sun. The Solar Collector wasn't going to work without sufficient sunlight.

Finally, the Galactor Queen Ant mecha was spotted emerging from the tunnel. Ken gave the order to deploy the Solar Collector, and Dr. Nambu gave the order to fire.

At first, it seemed as if the attack was going to be successful, but then the clouds that Jinpei had been tracking on the radar arrived. The Solar Collector went dead, and their most effective weapon against the Queen Ant was useless.

The Queen Ant mecha sprouted wings, flying into the air and spitting streams of green acid at the God Phoenix. Ken ordered Ryu to evade the assault, but the Owl was already on it. Yet, at the rate at which the barrage of attacks was coming, he couldn't keep it up forever. The Solar Collector, which was attached to the nose of the God Phoenix, was sharply restricting the speed and maneuverability of their warship.

Joe analyzed the situation from his station. Their previous attack with the Solar Beams had done some damage. There were many open spots on the hull. Previously, Dr. Nambu had informed the team that the ants were even more susceptible to _internal_ heat.

Like the kind of heat that could be generated by the explosion of a Bird Missile.

If the Condor targeted the most heavily damaged parts of the hull, a Bird Missile would likely break through and then explode _inside_ the mecha. Then they could finish it off with the Science Ninja Technique: Firebird, which would tear through the mecha at temperatures of three thousand degrees.

Joe knew that they could do it.

But before he could give voice to his suggested course of action, three red jets showed up on the main viewscreen. They began shooting missiles at the Queen Ant mecha… but nothing was happening. They were completely ignoring the damaged areas, and just hitting the Galactor craft in random spots.

Their missiles were having no effect whatsoever.

"Science Ninja Team, leave this to Red Impulse."

The arrogant tone of voice in which the message was delivered set the hackles rising on the back of the Condor's neck. There was no way Ken would follow such a demeaning order!

"All right, but we won't just sit and watch you guys!" Ken declared.

Joe grimaced. That wasn't exactly what he had been hoping for, but at least Ken wasn't going to hang back and do nothing.

"Ken, let's blast it with Bird Missiles!" Joe blurted, before the Eagle could change his mind again. The Condor prepared to explain his reasoning.

"No, we're going to wait for the sun to come out." Ken interrupted him. What the hell kind of plan was that? Was this what Ken meant by 'not sitting and watching'?

Fortunately, the sun chose that moment to emerge from the clouds, and the Solar Collector hummed into life again. The beam was immediately directed at the Queen Ant mecha. It didn't take long before the Galactor craft was bursting into flames. Ken and Ryu cheered, and Jinpei and Jun were smiling. Joe couldn't help smiling as well. Galactor had been defeated, and that was all that mattered.

The Communications System came to life.

"Gatchaman, you've done well for yourself." Red Impulse's tone of voice was almost… begrudging? "Just know that we are watching… until we meet again."

The words were clearly meant to appear friendly, but the tone in which they were spoken was almost threatening.

As the three red jets streaked off into the now-clear blue sky, the Condor's suspicions rose.

Just who was Red Impulse, anyway?

88888

Red Impulse smirked to himself. Everything had gone perfectly. He had arrived just in time to put on a display that he could use to convince Sosai that he had _tried_ to help Berg Katse. After all, none of the missiles the Red Impulse Squadron had used had caused any damage to the Queen Ant mecha, as the Colonel had ordered his men to use resonant frequency torpedoes, which Galactor had recently developed counters against. Since the UN and ISO weren't aware of this technological advancement yet, it also looked to Dr. Nambu like the Red Impulse Squadron had been attempting to destroy the Queen Ant mecha.

Of course, what he had done was just as good. Without damaging the Queen Ant mecha himself, he had given the Science Ninja Team a little more time to get their act together, and to allow the sun to come back out so they could renew their Solar Beam attack. And in the end, it was the Science Ninja Team that had defeated Katse… and Katse who had let the Science Ninja Team get away when he had had them in his grasp back at the Galactor base.

This part of his plan had worked perfectly. Now all Red Impulse had to do was destroy this Blue Hawk project that Sosai had mentioned. He would succeed where Berg Katse had failed.

And then he would finally prove his worth to Sosai.

88888

Joe got out of his car and walked down the short, overgrown path to Ken's shack. The Eagle's family had lived in this small house until Ken's father had died, and his mother had gone to the hospital due to her illness. At that time Ken had been sent to live with Dr. Nambu. A quick look around the place showed that nothing had been cared for since the place had been abandoned. Both the shack and its attached airstrip had been neglected while the youngest Washio had grown up, and now, as Gatchaman, it wasn't as if Ken had a lot of time to dedicate to the house or the airfield. Still, it was this ramshackle abode that Ken called home.

Joe rapped on the door, noting the light coming from inside: a sure sign that Ken was home. The perpetually broke Eagle was a stickler for saving money, and he would never leave the lights on if he wasn't using them.

Sure enough, a moment later Ken answered the door. He blinked blearily at the Condor. Joe knew just how the Eagle felt.

They had been up all night, staking out the Galactor Anthill base, being nearly suffocated in that place, and then escaping, only to wait for the dawn so the giant Queen Ant mecha could be destroyed. No one had gotten much sleep, and Joe imagined that Ken had been about ready to crash into bed. In fact, Joe would have been doing the same thing himself, if it hadn't been for the insistent niggling at the back of his mind that shouted out that something was wrong.

"What is it, Joe?" Ken mumbled, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his knuckles. "I was just about to catch up on some sleep."

"I need to talk to you about something." Joe said curtly. "Can I come inside?"

"You couldn't just call me on my bracelet…?" Ken groaned, stifling a yawn as he opened the door a little wider to admit his second. "And it had to be _now_?"

"I wanted to talk about that Red Impulse Squadron." Joe said. "But if I called you over our bracelets, Hakase might monitor the transmission."

"Okay." Ken said, waking up a little as he sat down on the threadbare couch. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, first of all, who is this Red Impulse guy?" Joe asked. "He shows up out of the blue while we're on missions, and yet he doesn't really talk to us. Dr. Nambu closes up tighter than Katse's ass when we ask about him, and just expects us to accept him. But I just don't know what Red Impulse is doing. Is he even _on_ our side? And if he is, why haven't we been briefed about him?"

"I've had a lot of those same questions myself, Joe." Ken admitted. "But you have to admit, he saved our butts today."

"Says who?" Joe snorted. "I'm pretty sure I could have shot a Bird Missile through that damaged hull, and that would have occupied the mecha long enough for us to use the Solar Collector again."

"Maybe." Ken replied, his eyes following his friend as the Condor paced back and forth across the tiny living room. "But we'll never know, now will we?"

"Have you noticed, the Red Impulse Squadron shows up, but they never actually _do_ anything?" Joe pointed out. "With that Scorpion mecha last week, their missiles were as ineffective as ours, even though Hakase claimed that their technology is superior to what we've got. And today, with the ants, it was the UN Military Forces that did most of the work, and the Red Impulse guys just sat there taking all of the glory. And they only shot at the Queen Ant mecha when we had already engaged it…"

"You're forgetting about the time we ran out of Bird Missiles, Joe." Ken reminded him. "The Red Impulse Squadron sure saved us then." The Eagle's tone was not accusatory, but his words still stung the Condor, as he was reminded of his error in judgment.

"But, how did they _know_?" Joe insisted, pushing back his instinctive emotions. "We had only _just_ run out of missiles. And we weren't _entirely_ out of options. We could have performed the Science Ninja Technique: Firebird. So why did they just come out of the blue, wade into _our_ fight, laugh at us, and then take off again?"

Ken appeared to contemplate this argument seriously, but did not respond.

"And Dr. Nambu's not the least bit upset by this kind of interference." Joe continued. "It just doesn't add up."

"You're making some good points, Joe." Ken nodded slowly. "But honestly, I'm too tired to think about it properly right now. Do you think we could talk about this later? Say, after we've both gotten some sleep?"

"Yeah." Joe agreed, feeling better now that he had actually voiced the concerns that had been building in his mind over the past few weeks. "I just needed to know that these thoughts were _real_, you know? That I wasn't just imagining things."

"No." Ken shook his head. "You're definitely not imagining things. There are clearly pieces to this puzzle of which we are not aware."

"Thanks." Joe told him. "You're a good friend, Ken."

"You are too, Joe." Ken replied. "If you want, you can crash on the couch, and we can talk about this when we wake up, okay?"

Joe looked askance at the couch. It was lumpy and sagging downward in the middle, but that didn't make it any worse than the bed back at his trailer.

"Sure." he agreed. "Thanks again, Ken."

The Eagle waved half-heartedly at the Condor as he stumbled off to his bedroom. Joe lay down on the couch, his mind awhirl with the mystery of the Red Impulse Squadron.

He and Ken _definitely_ needed to discuss this when they woke up.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Sosai, I am so sorry." Red Impulse apologized profusely. "I did everything you asked, but when the Science Ninja Team arrived on the scene, I was unable to prevent them from destroying the Queen Ant mecha, without revealing my true loyalties."

"One day, you will be forced to reveal those loyalties." Sosai threatened angrily. The Colonel cowered in fear. He had never heard the alien entity sound quite this… vicious.

"Of course, Sosai." Red Impulse replied respectfully, keeping his voice as calm as he was able to under the circumstances. "But that will only be with your permission."

"With _my_ permission?" screeched the alien. "Were you acting with _my_ permission when you let the Science Ninja Team destroy Galactor's ultimate weapon? Berg Katse barely escaped with his life!"

"I did not know what else to do, Sosai." Red Impulse scrambled to present a reasonable excuse. "Berg Katse sent the Queen Ant mecha into the underwater tunnel, which I was not expecting. I had anticipated that he would fly to the Tritan Aeronautical Research Foundation…"

"You're right." Sosai grumbled, and his anger seemed to dissipate somewhat. "Berg Katse bungled this mission. First he let the Science Ninja Team capture one of the miniature ants, then he let the Science Ninja Team escape from his trap, and then he went into that damned underwater tunnel."

Red Impulse held his breath. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Surely Sosai would eliminate Berg Katse and put Kentaro Washio in his place.

"I need you to help me." Sosai said, after a long pause.

"Anything, Sosai!" Red Impulse bowed low. Even though the alien entity was not physically there, the Colonel knew that through their mental connection, he could somehow be 'seen' by his master.

"I need you to destroy the Blue Hawk."

"What?"

This was not what Red Impulse had been expecting. Perhaps… perhaps this was a test! A test for _him_. A test to demonstrate that he could accomplish what Berg Katse had not.

"The Tritans have completed the project?" he asked, to cover his surprise.

"Yes." replied Sosai sourly. "Berg Katse did not get to the Aerospace Facility in time. We cannot allow the UN to have access to technology that is a match for ours. The aircraft must be destroyed."

"You do not want it for yourself?" the Colonel asked curiously. "The Blue Hawk is supposed to be the most advanced plane ever produced."

"Ever produced by _humans_." sneered Sosai. "The technology I have given to Berg Katse is far superior. But the Blue Hawk is powerful enough to be a threat to our mecha. Galactor does not need the Blue Hawk. All Galactor needs is to ensure that the UN Military Forces do not have the Blue Hawk."

Red Impulse sighed regretfully, despite himself. He had heard about this Blue Hawk prototype. The plane was said to be far more capable than the God Phoenix, and it was rumored to be able to attain speeds exceeding Mach 5. The pilot within him yearned to operate such a fantastic piece of technology, but his practicality knew that obeying Sosai's demands was far more important.

"I can do this for you, Sosai." Red Impulse promised. "And _more_." It was clear to the Colonel that the alien entity still wasn't convinced of his abilities. He had to show Sosai that he was deserving.

"I can eliminate the Science Ninja Team for you, Sosai."

"You think so?" Sosai laughed harshly. "Berg Katse has tried and failed. What makes you think that _you_ can succeed?"

Red Impulse nearly choked at this question. Didn't Sosai understand that he was far more capable than the mutant freak who was currently in charge of Galactor?

"I understand how they work." Red Impulse insisted confidently. "I believe that I can use the Blue Hawk to lure them to their deaths. I can eliminate both threats to Galactor with one offensive operation."

"Such a feat would be quite a step forward for Galactor." muttered Sosai thoughtfully. "But there is a problem."

"What is that, Sosai?"

"I promised Berg Katse that _he_ could kill the Science Ninja Team." the alien entity admitted. "It was indulgent of me, I suppose, but Katse wanted to make up for his mistakes in this past mission."

Red Impulse could hardly believe his ears. Sosai was sounding more like a doting parent rather than the dominant Master the Colonel was used to.

"Am I just to sit back then, and let the Science Ninja Team thwart Galactor's every move?" Red Impulse asked.

"No…" murmured the alien entity. "I will discuss this matter with Berg Katse and I will return to speak with you again shortly."

Red Impulse nodded. At the moment, it seemed that this was the best he could do.

Red Impulse's frustration continued to gnaw on him all night. Finally, the dawn broke, and he found himself in his crimson fighter jet, soaring through the skies. Flying soothed his mind and helped the Colonel think through his problems.

A small white speck appeared on the horizon. Using his long-range sensors, Red Impulse was able to determine that the aircraft was actually the detransmuted G-1 plane, which meant that it was likely being flown by his son.

An idea began to form in Red Impulse's mind. If he was not allowed to eliminate the Science Ninja Team, then he should make allies of them. Berg Katse's incompetence was all too evident to the Colonel, and he knew that by himself, the Galactor Leader would never be able to eliminate Gatchaman and his Team.

Then, why not make these child ninjas his friends?

The Science Ninja Team was in a position to pass on valuable information, and had also made Berg Katse look ridiculously inept in Sosai's eyes. Such traits were useful ones to Red Impulse. After all, the Colonel was skilled in manipulating people for his own advantage; it was almost second nature. If he could do this with countless others, then surely he could accomplish such a 'friendship' with his own son and the unsophisticated children who followed him.

With this thought in mind, Red Impulse moved to intercept Ken's plane, zooming forward and dipping downward slightly to 'buzz' his son's aircraft. The Eagle's reaction to this maneuver was to transform into the G-1 supersonic jet.

Red Impulse snorted mockingly. Gatchaman's true identity would not remain a secret for long if he was regularly transmuting out in the open like this. Didn't he comprehend the kind of satellite surveillance technology Galactor had at its fingertips? It would never do for Berg Katse… for _Sosai_… to learn that Gatchaman was the son of Red Impulse. The Colonel resolved to speak on this matter with Kozaburo Nambu as soon as reasonably possible.

But for now, he had another task on his mind.

Red Impulse rushed past the G-1 in a form of aerobatic dance. He was please to see that his son immediately took the bait, flying up alongside him and speaking over the Comm channel.

"So you're back, are you?" Ken noted. "The man with the crimson wings?"

"So I see you remember me, Gatchaman." Red Impulse laughed in a superior tone. He turned his jet slightly, purposely crossing flight paths with the G-1 and expertly avoiding a last-minute impact with the other plane by dropping down slightly as they passed. Clearly Ken was a decent pilot, but he had a lot to learn.

"You're good." he flattered the Eagle. "Just like I would expect from someone raised by Dr. Nambu." It was a complete crock, of course. What did Kozaburo know about flying in his unadventurous, self-imposed isolation? But Ken took the compliment at face value, just as Red Impulse had expected he would.

The pair continued to fly together for a few moments longer, criss-crossing paths every few moments. Red Impulse could see Ken responding to his maneuvers, and even beginning to anticipate them. For a brief moment, he felt a sense of pride that his son took to flying so naturally. But the feeling dissipated when Ken spoke to him again.

"So tell me just who you are anyway!" the petulant youth demanded. Clearly Ken was somewhat spoiled, and used to getting anything he wanted. Red Impulse laughed in response.

"Don't worry about that!" he taunted his son. "Just worry about polishing your skills, Mister!"

They continued to chase each other for a few minutes more, but the exercise quickly grew tiresome. Besides, if the Colonel kept something of a mystery about himself, Ken would only be more intrigued.

Arrogantly, Red Impulse raced at full speed toward the G-1, pulling up at the last second and narrowly missing the other aircraft as he flew away, rolling his crimson jet in a splashy maneuver designed to get Gatchaman's attention. _That_ would suffice to impress the boy.

When the Colonel returned back to his current base of operations, his mood had improved somewhat. It lifted further when he was mentally contacted by Sosai a few moments after he had finished securing his plane.

"I have discussed the matter with Berg Katse." the alien entity informed Red Impulse. "As I promised him, Katse will have his chance to kill the Science Ninja Team with Galactor's new Ibukuron mecha, which will be deployed in a couple of weeks. However, I will need your assistance to ensure that Berg Katse has this opportunity."

"Anything you ask, Sosai." Red Impulse responded, although he seethed inwardly at the notion that he was helping to 'give Berg Katse an opportunity'.

"You will be given a device." the alien told him. "This device must be connected to the God Phoenix's navigational thrusters. It will make them ineffective against Ibukuron's attack, putting the Science Ninja Team at Katse's mercy."

"How should I accomplish this task?" Red Impulse asked.

"That is up to you." Sosai answered. "However you must still accomplish your assigned task of destroying the Blue Hawk."

"I think, with a few resources, both of these tasks can be accomplished in unison, Sosai." smirked Red Impulse.

88888

When Joe was roused from his sleep ten hours later, it wasn't by Ken, but by Dr. Nambu, who was calling on his bracelet.

"G2, we are launching the God Phoenix." came the Doctor's voice. "Return to base immediately."

Joe sat up, looking around the small shack. The door to Ken's bedroom was wide open, and he could see the rumpled bedsheets.

But no Ken.

A quick look into the bathroom confirmed what he already knew: Ken was gone.

The Condor was slightly confused by this turn of events, but didn't want to disobey orders to launch the God Phoenix. He left the shack, jumped into his car, and called the Eagle on his bracelet once he was on the road.

"Sorry I missed you." Ken said, once Joe had contacted him. "After about eight hours, I couldn't sleep anymore, but I didn't want to wake you. I went out flying, and Hakase contacted me in the air."

"We still need to discuss that matter…" Joe reminded him.

"About that… I'm not so sure anymore." Ken hedged. "Hakase had some interesting things to say about it."

"Ken, tell me that you didn't discuss what I said with Hakase!" Joe exclaimed angrily.

"No." Ken replied. "We were talking about it for a different reason."

Joe grimaced. This sounded suspicious as hell to him. What, exactly, had Dr. Nambu said to Ken?

"Just hurry up, Joe. I'll meet you here at Crescent Coral." Ken signed off.

Something wasn't right. But at the moment, there was nothing Joe could do about it.

88888

The Condor groaned as he boarded the God Phoenix. This mission was a useless waste of time. Escorting the Blue Hawk to Ameris was a pointless endeavor. The new prototype UN warship outflew and outgunned even the God Phoenix. If it got into trouble it couldn't handle, there would be little that the Science Ninja Team could do. And yet, they were required to accompany the cutting-edge vessel all the same.

Joe had to admit that the ship itself was impressive. Everyone admired it on the main viewscreen, and the Condor could practically see the drool coming from the Eagle's and the Owl's mouths as they stared in awe at the Blue Hawk.

But after a few minutes, the novelty of the view wore thin, and the boredom set in. Joe leaned back in his chair, hoping to catch some shut-eye. He still resented being awoken from his sleep for this babysitting job. It was beneath the Science Ninja Team to perform such a menial task.

The Condor wanted to talk to the Eagle regarding his suspicions about Red Impulse. This kind of tedious duty provided plenty of time for such a discussion, but Joe didn't think it was such a good idea in front of the rest of the Team, particularly if Ken was changing his mind on this matter, for some unknown reason.

"Aaah!" Joe shouted in frustration, rising angrily to his feet. "This escort thing is a downer and unworthy of the Science Ninja Team!" he declared. Jinpei yawned in agreement.

"Man, I'm so bored and hungry and… bored!" the Swallow complained. "I wish some kind of incident would happen!"

Of course, simply by saying such a thing, the young ninja had just ensured that his wish would come true.

88888

Three crimson jets streaked through the sky, on their way to intercept the most powerful aircraft that had ever been built by humanity. Masaki and Oniishi were under no illusions as to their effectiveness against the powerful Blue Hawk, but when Dr. Nambu had informed them that Galactor agents had taken over the prototype aircraft, they had had no choice but to try.

One of the most satisfying aspects about the Colonel's entire plan was that what Nambu had told the Red Impulse Squadron was true. Galactor agents _had_ taken control of the Blue Hawk. But rather than being under Berg Katse's command, these agents had accomplished this feat at the direction of Red Impulse himself. Of necessity, the agents themselves did not truly understand from whom their orders had come, but the Colonel was somehow satisfied knowing that he had set these Galactor operatives on their course. They were goons, pure and simple, but they had already done what Red Impulse had required of them: they had killed the Blue Hawk pilots: the only men alive who were capable of explaining how the aircraft operated. As a bonus, the two designers of this prototype fighter had been scheduled to accompany the pilots on this transfer flight to Ameris, and the only copy of the prototype's schematics was aboard the Blue Hawk's computer. Once the aircraft was destroyed, there would be no way to rebuild it.

Now the Blue Hawk was being accompanied by the God Phoenix, thanks to the Colonel's insistence to Dr. Nambu that the Science Ninja Team was required for this kind of duty.

It was time for Red Impulse to continue with his plan.

The massive blue and gold aircraft came into sight, and Red Impulse instinctively sucked in his breath in admiration. The Blue Hawk truly was a thing of beauty. If only he could have flown it himself…

But Sosai would use his alien technology to help the Colonel construct a far more sophisticated jet to achieve Galactor's objectives on this planet.

Red Impulse gritted his teeth, and as soon as he was in range he began firing at the sleek, prototype aircraft before him. Masaki and Oniishi did the same, splitting off and moving to either side of the Colonel's jet. The bullets they fired, as expected, had little impact on the massive plane, and the Blue Hawk sedately continued her journey, seemingly unaware of this minor intrusion on her dignified solitude. The display that Red Impulse had planned for the Science Ninja Team was going perfectly.

Except for one thing.

The Blue Hawk had unlocked its Weapons Bay, and was pointing a missile straight at the God Phoenix. Quickly, before the goons controlling the prototype aircraft could fire, Red Impulse shot the slim metal brackets holding the missile in place, causing the shell to drop harmlessly to the ground below. While the Colonel would not have minded seeing the Science Ninja Team destroyed on his watch, Sosai had explicitly forbidden such a thing, so that Berg Katse could have the opportunity to accomplish this feat. For his part, this worked out even more to the Colonel's advantage. Sosai would know that the Science Ninja Team _could_ have been destroyed on this mission, and then become progressively angrier with Berg Katse in the future when the purple mutant continued to fail to accomplish the same task.

Additionally, this fit in nicely with Red Impulse's plan to endear himself to Gatchaman and his Team, as they would surely appreciate the assistance he would be providing once they were well caught in Galactor's clutches.

As they were shortly to be.

Only, it appeared that Gatchaman was not blindly following along with Red Impulse's plan. The G-1 jet was emerging from the back of the God Phoenix and aggressively approaching not the Blue Hawk, but Red Impulse's crimson jet.

It was time to get out of here.

Red Impulse fired his specially prepared missile at the belly of the Blue Hawk. Masaki and Oniishi thought that this shell contained a timer-based bomb to blow up the stolen aircraft. This was in fact true, however the Colonel's men did not know that it also contain a unique device designed to transmit a blocking frequency to the God Phoenix, effectively freezing the Science Ninja Team's warship and forcing it to follow the Blue Hawk to an old Galactor base located at the bottom of a dormant volcano.

"All right, let's make some trails, men!" Red Impulse ordered, and the three crimson fighter jets flew off, leaving the Blue Hawk and the God Phoenix behind.

What Red Impulse did not expect was to be followed by his son. The G-1 jet streaked after him, clearly out for blood.

Damn Ken and his stupidity! This put a serious crimp in the Colonel's plans. He needed _all_ of the Science Ninja Team to be captured by Galactor. This clearly could not happen if Ken was not aboard the God Phoenix.

Sighing in frustration, the Colonel transmitted an encoded message to the goons on board the Blue Hawk, informing them that it was time to lock up the God Phoenix's controls and begin the next stage of the plan.

Red Impulse would deal with Gatchaman himself.

The Colonel sent another message to Masaki and Oniishi, ordering them back to their main base of operations on South Island, hoping that as the leader of the Red Impulse Squadron, Gatchaman would choose to follow _him_. He turned around, meeting the Eagle's jet head on.

His son took the bait.

"Gatchaman, following us is useless!" the Colonel transmitted a message. "Return to the God Phoenix immediately!" He hoped that his tone was persuasive enough to convince his son to follow the order instinctively.

But it was a vain hope. As he zoomed past the G-1, the Eagle turned around and took off like a shot after his father's plane.

"How dare you attack the Blue Hawk?" Ken's voice came through the Comm System. "Now that I know you're the enemy, I won't let you get away!"

Red Impulse smirked to himself. His son's cockiness and arrogance would be his downfall, especially if Ken continued to underestimate his opponents as he was now doing with the Colonel. If Gatchaman thought Red Impulse was as much of an incompetent fool as Berg Katse, he was in for a big surprise.

"The God Phoenix was ordered to return to base, wasn't it?" the Colonel pointed out. "Hurry up and get there!" It was a long shot, but perhaps appealing to Ken's sense of duty would get Red Impulse's plan back on track.

"Shut your trap! I'm coming through!"

The Colonel laughed at loud. He couldn't believe how easy it was to get the vaunted Gatchaman to lose his cool and start making rash decisions. This might turn out to his advantage after all.

Ken attempted to buzz his father's plane, dropping his landing gear as he did so in a failed attempt to disorient the Colonel. Red Impulse was more annoyed than anything else. He didn't want his jet being scratched or dented by this spoiled brat.

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing?" he shouted angrily to the Eagle.

Gatchaman did not respond, but continued to tail the crimson jet. Red Impulse sighed. Ken was so predictable. The Colonel angled his jet upward, shooting up at a ninety degree angle into the clouds. This angered the Eagle, as evidenced by his next transmission.

"Trying to split the scene, huh? You're not escaping me!"

What arrogance! What the hell had Nambu taught this boy? It was time to cut him off at the knees. The Colonel contacted the Doctor on his Comm System.

"Dr. Nambu," he said. "Gatchaman lives up to his name. He's really pretty good, isn't he?" It nearly made him ill to utter the words, but he knew that Kozaburo would be expecting a father's pride in his assessment of Ken's abilities.

"Yes." Nambu replied. "But we have a more serious problem right now. The Science Ninja Team is not responding to my attempts to contact them." Red Impulse smiled to himself. At least _some_ part of his plan was proceeding as it was supposed to.

"What?" he feigned the appropriate level of shock for the Doctor's benefit. "You can't contact the God Phoenix? I understand. I'll investigate at once, Doctor."

The Colonel moved off, noting that Ken continued to follow him like a rabid bulldog.

"Stubborn…" he smirked to himself, noting the Eagle's weakness for future reference. He was already assessing his next move.

Red Impulse landed on a remote stretch of grassy ground, hoping that Ken would follow suit. The Colonel's plan had been to rescue the Science Ninja Team from Galactor's clutches, thereby gaining their trust and ensuring that he had access to the God Phoenix, where he could install the device that Sosai had ordered him to place on the warship. But if Ken rescued his own Team, then that would never happen.

Red Impulse had to make sure that he was 'invited' along. Even better if he could make it look as if it was _his_ rescue mission, and it was Gatchaman who was tagging along.

But Ken didn't look as if he wanted to invite the Colonel anywhere. He landed his jet, leapt out and stood on the ground, glaring at the Colonel in an arrogant, brassy manner, as if this were some kind of old West showdown.

"Here I come, Red Impulse!" the Eagle announced.

The Colonel was hard put not to laugh as Ken angrily rushed at him in an offensive maneuver. Gatchaman's form was full of exploitable holes, and the Colonel easily deflected the strike by sticking out his foot and causing the Eagle to trip. Ken tumbled humiliatingly to the ground, getting up and immediately attacking again.

Gatchaman leapt into the air, coming down foot first at Red Impulse's head. But the attack was time-consuming, and the Colonel had plenty of opportunity to prepare a hand strike to his son's calf, causing him to crumple to the grass.

This time, Ken forwent the flashy showmanship and simply tried to hit him with his fist. The boy's reflexes were so slow that Red Impulse had no problem blocking the punch, effortlessly holding up his palm to absorb the impact of Gatchaman's attacks.

The Colonel adjusted his visor, allowing his eyes to become visible. He knew that if he could distract Ken, the Eagle was more likely to listen to what he had to say.

"Gatchaman, I fear the God Phoenix has been stolen by Galactor."

Ken gasped in surprise. Clearly this was not what he had expected his opponent to say, and Red Impulse pressed his advantage.

"It happened while you were ignoring Dr. Nambu's orders and following me." he lectured. He could see that throwing guilt into his son's face was an effective weapon, and noted that for future encounters.

"So you mean everyone was…?" Ken was clearly floundering around for answers.

"Captured." the Colonel finished for him smoothly. "It seems that even before the Blue Hawk took off, it had already been hijacked by Galactor."

"Oh no!" Ken cried in anguish, sinking to the ground. Red Impulse found himself actually disgusted by the sight. Was his son truly so weak that he would instantly believe any quickly-concocted tale his opponent devised for him? _This_ was the man who had kept Berg Katse on the run?

"The Mega-Bomb I set has let me know right where Galactor is." the Colonel continued, ignoring the Eagle's sniveling form. "It seems they're inside that volcano." he turned to regard the smoking mountain to his right. Of course, the volcano was long dormant, and the smoke just a cover, but it certainly looked real enough.

"Right over there…" he teased.

"Red Impulse, I don't understand all this…" Ken whined. "Just who are you anyway? Tell me!"

On the surface, it might have seemed as if Ken were questioning the Colonel's story, but the look in his eyes was something more. Red Impulse realized that his son had sensed their biological connection. Certainly it made sense, as the boy probably had old pictures of his family that he had looked at before.

It was an advantage the Colonel hadn't anticipated, but wouldn't neglect to use. Yet in order to maintain it, Ken couldn't know who he _truly_ was. The mystery would tie Gatchaman to Red Impulse and create a false sense of trust that might be invaluable in the future.

"I've told you; I'm Red Impulse!" he mocked the Eagle, before deflecting the query. "If the Science Ninja Team isn't rescued quickly, the bomb will blow them up, along with the volcano!"

Gatchaman acquiesced quietly, standing up and looking his father straight in the eye.

"Then let's get going." the Eagle said, stalking off in the direction of the mountain.

Red Impulse turned briskly and moved forward, desperately trying to make it appear as if he wasn't scrambling to keep up. Something had just changed inside of his son, and now that Ken's decision had been made, he could see Gatchaman leading the way, moving off to do what had to be done.

They walked in silence together toward the volcano. The Colonel supposed that this should be a 'touching' moment, but right then the only emotion of which he was aware was frustration: frustration that his son was here _at all_. Ken was _supposed_ to be on his damned God Phoenix, gassed and unconscious like the rest of his Team! But instead, the boy had run off like an idiot and put a crimp in his father's plans.

But it was nothing that could not be overcome. By being the one to tell Ken that his Team had been captured, Red Impulse had not only gained Gatchaman's trust; he was now in a position to accompany the Eagle on this mission.

The Colonel would still be able to carry out his plan, as he had promised Sosai. And that was all that mattered.

"In there." Red Impulse jerked his head to indicate the top of the volcano, even as they reached the foot of the mountain. "We'll have to climb up to the top to get in."

Ken did not respond verbally, but merely nodded and began climbing the steep rock face. His face was determined, and Red Impulse had to admit to himself that the Eagle appeared to be very persistent in going after his enemies.

Too bad that Ken was so stupid that he was unable to figure out who his enemies _truly_ were.

The two men climbed side by side, neither saying much to the other as they ascended. Gatchaman moved swiftly, and the Colonel found himself making an extra effort to keep up. No wet-behind-the-ears kid was going to show him up! Even if the kid _was_ his own son.

"We… have we met before?"

Red Impulse was taken aback by the unexpected question. He looked up at the white figure in front of him, glad the boy could not see his face as he scrambled for an answer. While he did not want to outright confirm what the boy was guessing, neither did he want to deny it.

"Of course we've met!" he replied with forced joviality. "My Squadron has assisted yours a few times, now."

The only response was a sharp grunt, and it appeared that Gatchaman was willing to let the matter drop. The Colonel breathed a sigh of relief.

At last they reached the top of the volcano, and the two men dropped down to the roof of the Galactor base, which was covered by clouds of artificial smoke being produced from a number of particle emitters strategically placed inside of the volcano's mouth. The roof of the base was completely featureless, save for one obvious emergency hatch.

As he landed, Red Impulse managed to maintain his footing, albeit barely, failing to achieve the same sense of grace that Gatchaman had when performing the same maneuver. Of course, the Colonel did not have the advantage of wings as the Eagle did, and had performed the jump completely unassisted. Still, it rankled Red Impulse, and he glared at his son's winged back.

Together, they pulled open the hatch a bare inch, peering through the square opening and into the area below. The base was composed of one large chamber, which was acting as a hangar for the Blue Hawk, as well as the God Phoenix, which was parked next to it.

Along the wall hung the other members of the Science Ninja Team. They were suspended from chains, with metal restraints placed at their wrists and ankles. Red Impulse smirked to himself to see his plan so perfectly executed. As ordered, the goons were simply guarding these stupid birds, waiting for the Colonel to arrive.

Except… what were they doing, talking into that communications station?

Looking more closely, Red Impulse realized that the Galactor soldiers were speaking with Berg Katse. Damn those worthless goons! They were going to tell Katse that they had both the Blue Hawk and the Science Ninja Team, and ruin everything! First Ken had messed things up, and now Katse and his goons were making trouble for him as well. What more could go wrong this day?

It had to be stopped.

Ken leapt down, quietly landing on the nose of the Blue Hawk beneath him. Berg Katse's grating voice could be heard laughing as it echoed around the hangar.

"At long last, Science Ninja Team, our final farewell." the mutant bragged. The Colonel nearly choked. Berg Katse was going to execute Gatchaman's Team _now_? That purple freak was taking advantage of the careful planning that Red Impulse had executed! How _dare_ he try to take credit for the operation that was going to catapult Kentaro Washio to the ultimate leadership of Galactor!

But that wouldn't happen if Berg Katse killed the Science Ninja Team. They would no longer be around to thwart his actions, and Sosai would only see Berg Katse's actions this day, and not those of Red Impulse.

He had to act fast.

"Stay here!" he hissed at Ken, before silently jumping down and concealing himself in the shadows. He just had to wait for the perfect opportunity to pull the rug out from under Berg Katse.

"You put all of us in the God Phoenix to sleep with knockout gas, didn't you?" one of the ninjas accused Katse.

"You coward! If you'd have attacked us the normal way, I'd have put up a big fight!" whined the child ninja.

This was unbelievable! Even the Science Ninja Team was convinced that _Katse_ was the mastermind behind this!

"Oh, protest all you want!" Katse answered smugly. "This is farewell, nevertheless!" He laughed in a cocky fashion, and Red Impulse longed to wipe the smirk from the mutant's face.

And that was exactly what he was going to do.

"This isn't all of us!" the female ninja protested. "Gatchaman is still out there. He'll take Galactor down, just you wait!"

The Colonel smirked to himself for a moment. He knew that the female was only on the team so that Nambu could appear 'open-minded' to the ISO, but she did have spirit. And her legs looked pretty good in the miniskirt too. For a brief moment, the Colonel wondered if his son had taken advantage of that pretty piece of flesh.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! Gatchaman will share your unfortunate fate!" Katse bragged. "Take them out!" he ordered the goons.

Carefully, Red Impulse aimed his own gun and shot it, firing off the rifle trigger on the goons' weapons. Cockily, he twirled his gun around, astounding the simple-minded Galactor soldiers with his prowess.

"Who are you?" asked Berg Katse. Even over the communications monitor, the Colonel could see the fear on the purple freak's face as he beheld the bright red uniform of Red Impulse. A part of him wanted Katse to known _exactly_ to whom he was speaking, and understand that the leadership of Galactor was not as secure as he might have otherwise thought.

Yet to accomplish his goals, he had to keep his identity a secret from Berg Katse.

"I'm Red Impulse!" he declared, projecting an aura of extreme self-confidence. After all, he was here to save the day, wasn't he?

"Oh, _you're_ the reckless one, picking a fight with moi!" Katse sneered. The purple mutant's uneducated use of French only told the Colonel that his opponent was insecure and pompous.

Perfect.

"All right, send him to the next world, along with the Science Ninja Team!" Katse ordered his goons. A number of wall panels opened up around the massive chamber, revealing green-uniformed soldiers pointing rifles at the man in red.

The Colonel laughed. The hangar was so massive, and those goons so far away, that it would be a miracle if they hit anyone at all! Not to mention, these troops weren't exactly known for their marksmanship, even under the best of circumstances.

He could handle this.

But he didn't have to. A metal object came flying from the ceiling, knocking out the two soldiers closest to him, before flying back up to the top of the Blue Hawk, and into the outstretched hand of Gatchaman.

"Hey, look, it's Ken!" cried the female ninja. She sounded happy to see the Eagle. It briefly crossed the Colonel's mind that she hadn't been so excited to see Red Impulse when he had shown up to rescue Gatchaman's Team.

But what the hell was Ken doing here? He was supposed to be waiting in the rafters! The Colonel had never imagined that his effeminate son would be this reckless.

"Ken, I'm totally useless like this!" whined one of the ninjas. "Give me a chance to look cool too!"

Red Impulse nearly keeled over laughing at this point. These children were so transparent! They were incompetent juveniles playing at being the hero, and they couldn't stand to see someone else in the spotlight. No wonder Ken had disobeyed his instructions!

Well, it would appear that if he wanted to get on the good side of the Science Ninja Team, he should let the children have their playtime.

"Get them! Get them!" Katse ranted. "Crush these worms who have slithered into our compound!" Clearly the mutant's maturity level was on par with these ninja children, and he too wanted to play the conquering hero. Berg Katse's behavior reminded the Colonel of a toddler having a tantrum. Red Impulse turned to face the communications monitor on which the Galactor Leader's image was being broadcast.

"This TV is turned up too loud." sneered the Colonel. "It's bothering the entire neighborhood!"

"Are you talking to me?" gasped Katse.

With one shot, Red Impulse destroyed the monitor, reveling in the sparks and flashes that came from the damaged Communications System. He only wished it could have been Berg Katse's _real_ face.

Instantly, more of the wall panels housing armed Galactor soldiers opened up. But as before, the Colonel knew that these men posed no real threat to him from their faraway positions. Yet it seemed as if the Sergeant in charge knew this as well.

"Get them!" the Sergeant cried, and the soldiers dropped down from their high perches to land on the floor, where they could engage in closer-range combat.

Gatchaman ignored the plight of his teammates and simply plowed into the fray, punching and kicking the soldiers in the manner of a small child with a new toy. Red Impulse shook his head in disgust, then raised his gun, shooting off the metallic restraints holding the other members of the Science Ninja Team in place. After that, the Colonel didn't have to do anything. He merely watched as the child ninjas executed a number of showy combat maneuvers, all of them clearly enjoying the fight now that they were in the superior position.

It was amazing how easy it was to manipulate these youngsters. And speaking of manipulating, he had a plan to complete.

"We're running out of time!" Red Impulse shouted, indicating the Mega-Bomb that was still stuck in the belly of the Blue Hawk. "We can escape in the God Phoenix!"

No one protested this suggestion. The Colonel nearly laughed at how easy this was. He had run into some obstacles, but in the end, his plan was being executed perfectly.

The Science Ninja Team flew up to the top of their ship, now eager to leave. Red Impulse checked the readout on his wrist computer. The God Phoenix's controls were still locked. Quickly, the Colonel pressed a button releasing them, and simultaneously initiating the automatic countdown on the Mega-Bomb.

It was time to go.

The Colonel holstered his gun and leapt upward. He was able to quickly climb up to the dome on the outer hull of the God Phoenix, and a few seconds later he was on the Bridge of the Science Ninja Team's warship.

"We have to get out of here!" he ordered the portly, green pilot. "This base is going to blow!"

"Yes, Sir!" the pilot responded. For all that he looked like a fat slug, at least this one had some sense of respect for authority.

As the blue warship lifted up and out of the volcano, the youngest ninja turned and regarded the Colonel. The boy's face looked up at him in a manner that showed respect for an authority figure. Clearly the youth instinctively saw Red Impulse as the leader of this rescue operation. His efforts hadn't been in vain, despite Ken's interference.

"But what do we do about the Blue Hawk?" the youngest ninja asked. "Why aren't we taking it?"

"It's a gift for Galactor." the Colonel smirked.

"Aw, what a waste!" the boy whined.

But the youngster was no longer whining a few moments later when the Mega-Bomb exploded and massive clouds of thick, dark smoke began to billow forth from the peak of the mountain. This was followed by gouts of orange-red fire, creating the appearance of the volcano erupting. The boy cheered and whistled, and the other ninjas joined him in a celebration.

As things began to calm down, Red Impulse looked around the Bridge curiously. To his right, the girl and the little boy appeared to be checking the radar and scanning for signs of other aircraft. In front of him, the pilot was flying the ship, and next to him, Ken was sending a report to Dr. Nambu. And to his left…

Another young man was glaring at him.

Red Impulse did not know the man's name, but he had not been impressed by this ninja's self-gratifying appeal to his superior officer back inside the Galactor base. He had been the one who had asked Ken to free him so that he could look good too. This boy was clearly a punk, then; full of swagger and bravado, but good for little else.

Still, Red Impulse found himself unnerved by the punk's penetrating gaze, and he had to fight not to look away.

After a moment of this silent showdown, the Eagle called his officer over to the front of the Bridge.

"Joe, I need an analysis of that Galactor base for my report." Ken said.

Reluctantly, the punk tore his eyes away from the Colonel, not saying a word but obeying his superior and moving toward the Eagle's station. Red Impulse let out his breath in an instinctive sigh of relief. There was something in that young man's eyes that refused to back down. Unlike Ken, this one knew who his enemy was, and he wasn't going to be convinced to change his mind with a few well-chosen words.

Deep down, Red Impulse knew that it was _this_ man from whom he had the most to fear.

But this 'Joe' was only a punk, after all. There was nothing to worry about.

Now that he was no longer being directly observed, the Colonel moved to the side of the Bridge, placing himself in front of the access panel he required. While he had never set foot aboard this ship before, he had studied its schematics well enough to know where he had to place Sosai's device.

The tiny disc was a marvel of engineering. It had been designed to change its chemical makeup to emulate the metallic material to which it was attached. Within seconds of encountering such material, it would begin to replicate itself in similar fashion, while simultaneously downloading its encapsulated information into the computer system, leaving no trace behind that it had ever been present. The device had been developed using Sosai's alien technology, and had been found to be extremely useful for rapid programming of mecha. Emergency Galactor protocols were often stored in such discs, but this was the first time the device had been used on a non-Galactor craft.

Quickly, the Colonel flipped up the small access hatch, dropping the tiny black circle out of his sleeve and into his palm. His hand pressed itself inside of the terminal on the underside of the panel, against the navigational array that was located there. The Colonel felt the device click softly in his palm as it attached, and then begin to change shape. Quickly he withdrew his hand, closing the small hatch.

"What are you doing?"

The sharp, accusing glare that accompanied these words was coming from the punk. The man had approached so quickly that Red Impulse hadn't even realized that anyone else was there.

"Just admiring your ship." the Colonel replied smoothly. "This God Phoenix of yours is quite a beauty."

The punk continued to stare at Red Impulse, his unblinking gaze seeming to penetrate the façade that was almost second nature to the Colonel. It was almost as if this man could see inside of him, to what was hidden deep within his soul.

But that was impossible. Not even Sosai was capable of such a thing. Red Impulse forced back his uneasy imaginings with an ingratiating attack on the punk's attitude.

"I don't believe we've formally been introduced." he said in a friendly tone. "I'm Red Impulse. And you are…?" The Colonel held out his hand.

The punk simply glared at him for a moment, but then finally responded with a grunt.

"The Condor."

The Condor did not accept the offer of the Colonel's hand, nor did he sound the least impressed by Red Impulse's attempt at conversation.

The awkward moment was broken by a clueless Ken, who approached the pair with a smile.

"Red Impulse," Gatchaman said, "the Owl is preparing to drop us off at our planes, so that we may return to our own bases."

"That's a good idea." Red Impulse nodded. He had accomplished the tasks that Sosai had set out for him, as well as the one he had set for himself. He had wanted to ingratiate himself with the Science Ninja Team, and it appeared that he had done so, with the exception of this disgruntled Condor.

It was a good start.

Wordlessly, Gatchaman and Red Impulse left the God Phoenix, dropping down to the ground and returning to their jets. Red Impulse was so used to working with Masaki and Oniishi that he automatically took off in formation with the Eagle, matching his speed, angle of ascent, and altitude, so that the pair was now flying side by side, nearly wing to wing.

Red Impulse had accomplished his goals that day, and now Sosai would be able to see that he was a man who got things done. Sosai would realize that it was Kentaro Washio who was truly the best suited for leadership of Galactor, and not Berg Katse.

A tear slipped out of his eye as Red Impulse imagined himself achieving the one thing he truly wanted in this life.

Thanks to the Science Ninja Team, it was all within his grasp.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Ken, we need to talk."

"I know. Come on in."

The scene was reminiscent of the one that had occurred the day before, only now, both men were somewhat more rested, and therefore better able to communicate.

And there was one other difference.

"Joe, I'm not sure there's a problem." Ken said as he sank down onto his worn sofa. "Yesterday I was suspicious of Red Impulse too. But after today…"

"Today, when you took off after him in the G-1, determined to take him down?" Joe reminded his friend as he leaned against the wall in his usual pose. "Ken, I don't remember _ever_ seeing you that angry before."

"I don't think I have ever been that angry before." Ken admitted wryly. "I thought Red Impulse was a traitor, and all I could think about was taking him down."

"So what changed your mind?" Joe asked curiously. "I couldn't believe it when I saw you show up with him at that Galactor base."

"It was strange, Joe…" Ken said, his face taking on a confused look. "I had chased the guy down, and I was attacking him, and he just started talking to me…"

"_Talking_?" Joe asked suspiciously. "What did he say?"

"He told me that you were all in danger and that he had tracked you to the volcano." Ken recalled. "But…"

"Wait a minute!" Joe exclaimed. "How the hell did _he_ know that we were in trouble? You two both flew off before the God Phoenix's controls locked up, and we were unable to contact anyone on our bracelets."

"I… I'm not sure." Ken confessed. "But his information _was_ correct. You _were_ all prisoners of Galactor."

"Don't remind me." groaned Joe, embarrassed by the ease with which he had been captured by those idiotic goons. The Condor couldn't believe that the God Phoenix had been rendered unresponsive and then filled with sleeping gas, and he had been unable to do anything to prevent it from happening. Some leader he was! No wonder the Condor had been passed over for command of the Science Ninja Team.

Although at that moment, Gatchaman himself did not seem to have a lot of answers.

"I saw through his goggles, Joe." Ken revealed. "There was something about him… his eyes. They were so familiar…"

"How were they familiar?" Joe asked intently.

"That's just it! I don't know!" Ken slammed his fist onto his denim-clad thigh in frustration. I just had the feeling that I had met him before."

"Before… _when_?"

"I'm not certain. A long time ago…"

"How long?"

"I don't know, Joe! How many times do I have to answer this question?"

"Okay, okay." Joe sighed. "Fair enough. But you've met all kinds of people before. Like Berg Katse, for instance. Just because you've met someone doesn't mean that they're on _our_ side."

"That's true, but… there was something about him, Joe. I felt… I felt as if I could trust him. And when he told me that you were all in danger, in my heart, I knew it was true. It was as if, by going off on my own, I had failed you all as your leader, and Red Impulse was giving me a chance to redeem myself."

"You didn't fail us as a leader, Ken." Joe said reassuringly. But then his voice took on a more demanding tone.

"I just can't believe that you simply took what Red Impulse said at face value." the Condor lectured. "Let me get this straight. We saw him attack the Blue Hawk with our own eyes. Then after you chased him and confronted him about it, he told you that the Team was in danger, and you didn't ask him how he knew this? You _believed_ him, even after everything we said last night?"

"I think you mean, everything _you_ said last night, Joe." Ken answered defensively. "_You_ were the one making all of the accusations, and you still are. Why _shouldn't_ we believe he's on our side?"

"We don't know anything about him." Joe stated.

"Dr. Nambu vouches personally for him." Ken countered.

"He attacked the Blue Hawk when we were supposed to be protecting it."

"The UN and Dr. Nambu had contacted the Red Impulse Squadron and had told them that Galactor agents had hijacked the Blue Hawk."

"And why would they contact Red Impulse and not _us_?" Joe demanded. "_We_ were the ones providing the guard duty, weren't we?"

"You're beside the point, Joe." Ken lectured. "None of that suggests that we can't trust Red Impulse."

"Fine." Joe growled. "What about today, after the mission? I caught Red Impulse poking around inside of the God Phoenix's controls, and he avoided answering any questions about what he was doing."

"He was messing with the God Phoenix's controls?" Ken gasped in disbelief. "What did he do?"

"I'm not sure." Joe admitted. "I looked at the area after you and Red Impulse had left the God Phoenix, but I couldn't find anything wrong. When we got back to the Crescent Coral Base, I asked the techs to check out everything, just to make sure."

"But nothing was found…"

"Not yet. But the techs will have a report first thing in the morning."

"_If_ they find anything."

"They _have_ to find something! I know that Rat Bastard did something to the God Phoenix!"

"There's no proof of that, Joe."

"_Yet_."

The two ninjas stared intensely at each other for a long moment, each convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were right. Yet at the same time, it was clear to both men that neither would be willing to budge from their position. After a few seconds, Ken broke the icy silence.

"I trust him, Joe, but I trust you as well. If you're suspicious, then that's a good thing for the Science Ninja Team. I want you to keep checking this out, and come back to me if you come up with any _hard_ evidence."

Joe nodded curtly. Ken respected his opinion, and he wasn't shutting him down outright. It was about as much as the Condor could expect in this situation.

"But never forget that _I_ am the leader of the Science Ninja Team." Ken reminded him. "I'll listen to what you have to say, but _I_ make the final decisions. If I say that we trust Red Impulse and his information, then we will do so. Understand?"

Joe nodded again, this time with a sour taste in his mouth. Ken would let him speak, but the Eagle wasn't going to pay any attention to what the Condor had to say.

Not without hard evidence.

And that was just what Joe was determined to provide.

88888

"How _dare_ you rescue the Science Ninja Team?" raged Sosai. "Berg Katse was about to have them executed, and you helped them escape!"

"Sosai, I only did so because I was following the plan that _you_ had approved! I could have easily had the God Phoenix destroyed with the entire Science Ninja Team aboard, before the Blue Hawk ever even reached the base! But you had forbidden such a thing!"

"Those Galactor soldiers were acting under Berg Katse's orders, as you well knew!" shouted the alien entity. "They were about to kill those meddlesome ninjas when you interrupted the proceedings and rescued them!"

"I thought they were under _my_ command!" Red Impulse countered. "That was what we discussed, Sosai!" The Colonel knew that he was grasping at straws. At the time he had been obsessed with preventing Berg Katse from looking competent in Sosai's eyes. He had not given any consideration to the fact that by allowing the ninjas to die under Katse's orders, he would still be adhering to what Sosai had demanded.

"_You_ are not in command of Galactor personnel." Sosai lectured. "You think too much of yourself. You always have. I should _never_ have let you continue to serve me. You are not worthy."

The Colonel felt a wave of fear wash over him as he heard the alien entity's words.

"But, Sosai," he protested weakly, "you have said, many times, that the information I have provided for you has been invaluable! That you could not have progressed so far toward your goals without me!"

"I am beginning to wonder if the small aid you have given to me was worth this treachery." Sosai growled. "This is the _third_ time now that you have prevented Galactor from accomplishing its objectives!"

"Sosai, I accomplished everything you asked of me, today!" Red Impulse insisted, doing his best to keep the desperation he was feeling out of his voice. "The Blue Hawk was destroyed…"

"At the cost of a Galactor Base, and a full battalion of troops, not to mention the four experienced pilots who hijacked the Blue Hawk to begin with!"

"And planted the device as you requested, on the God Phoenix…"

"Then why haven't our Communications Stations received a confirmation transmission?" Sosai demanded. "All Merging Data Discs are programmed to transmit a confirmation signal once their work is complete."

"Perhaps the God Phoenix's Communications Systems are not compatible with the Data Disc." the Colonel suggested meekly. "After all, these Discs have not been used on non-Galactor vessels before."

"Or perhaps you did not install it properly." accused Sosai. "Or perhaps you are simply lying to me, and you did not install it at all! You are a bumbling idiot! Your lies and treachery are not to be borne! You are _far_ worse than Katse!"

"That is unfair, Sosai!" Red Impulse declared, pulling together as much of his dignity as he could muster. "I have done everything you have asked of me! It is hardly my fault if you change orders behind my back…"

"Behind _your_ back?" raged the alien entity. "I have a right to change _my_ orders whenever I wish, without _your_ useless approval!"

The Colonel saw his chances for promotion rapidly slipping away. Far worse, it seemed as if Sosai no longer valued his services. Desperately he grasped at whatever argument he could come up with.

"The technology you gave to me was untested in ISO warships!" he countered. "You cannot expect me to implement it without error. I am _far_ more useful and effective than Berg Katse, _and_ I have the trust of our enemies! What more could you desire in your most devoted servant?"

Red Impulse sensed that the alien entity was wavering. Encouraged, he pushed forward with his argument, not stopping to think about the implications of what he was saying.

"It is _I_ who should be Leader of Galactor!" he declared. "_I_ am the one who is best suited for the task!"

There was a shocked silence as both the Colonel and Sosai realized what had just been inadvertently uttered. After a long moment the alien entity spoke. Sosai was no longer shouting and angry, but his voice was cold and harsh.

"Berg Katse is the Leader of Galactor." the alien entity hissed. "He is _my_ creation: a being whom I have altered to suit _my_ needs. His abilities complement mine in ways you could never be capable of understanding. You are merely a mongrel human; a wretch with whom I experimented and amused myself until I was able to achieve my goal of altering one of your species to meet my needs. I was wrong to keep you in my service, once I had created Katse. I will no longer continue in that mistake."

Red Impulse's heart dropped into his stomach. He opened his mouth and prepared to offer whatever defense he could, but he was preempted from doing so as the alien entity spoke once more.

"Your services are no longer required, Kentaro Washio."

And then Sosai was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_**Six Months Later **_

Joe walked into the welcoming atmosphere of the Snack J, moving toward his usual place at the bar. Jun's emerald eyes sparkled at him as she wordlessly placed a bottle of his favorite beer on the counter, before he had even taken his seat. He grinned at her, his aches and tiredness forgotten for a moment in the light and warmth of the Swan's soft smile.

He was home.

It felt good to be here, after the week he had just had. The pollution-free city of Utopia had been devastated by explosions and dinosaur attacks for the last few days. Worst of all, at the beginning of these attacks, Ken had lost his bracelet. Joe, Jun and Ryu had broken into a Galactor base and had pretended to be captured, in order to flush out the bracelet. Jinpei had arrived, convincing the corrupt Galactor agent who had found the communicator to display it, and from there it had been business as usual: fighting goons, destroying a base, and eliminating various Galactor mecha. Unlike usual, the Team had had to split up to accomplish these tasks, and that, combined with being run ragged over the past month, had taken its toll on the Condor. The stress of Ken losing his bracelet had only added to Joe's deteriorating mood over the past few days, and he desperately wanted to let all of that go.

Now, Joe was finally able to relax and recover from the series of Galactor attacks that seemed to be occurring almost each and every day now. Berg Katse had certainly stepped up his offensive schedule; almost as if he had something to prove. The Science Ninja Team, which had admittedly started out as an inexperienced group of young people, had been thrust into a sink-or-swim environment of relentless attacks and life-threatening encounters. They often barely had a chance to rest in between Galactor offensives.

And there were _five_ members of the Science Ninja Team. Berg Katse was only one man. The Condor couldn't understand how that purple bastard could maintain the intensity and frequency of his attacks.

But right now Berg Katse was the last thing Joe wanted to think about. He wanted to forget about the war for a few hours, and let all of the tension and stress leave his body, He tipped his head back, taking a long, slow swallow of beer, his heart offering a silent prayer.

_No more Galactor attacks, please… at least, not tonight._

Joe's eyes followed Jun as she moved around the room, serving her customers. There were enough people in the Snack J tonight to earn her a tidy profit, despite her irregular opening hours of the past couple of months. Jun herself seemed invigorated by this, and she was more energetic than Joe had seen her in some time. She greeted everyone who entered her establishment with a cheery smile.

When Ken entered the bar, Jun's smile only grew wider. She moved over in his direction, greeting the Eagle happily.

"It's great to see you, Ken."

"Yeah." Ken replied, keeping his eyes focused down on the bar and avoiding Jun's gaze. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to spot me a sandwich and a soda…?"

"Ken…" Jun suddenly appeared to be uncomfortable. "Your tab is getting pretty big. Can't you pay off anything on it? Even a little bit?"

"I haven't exactly had time to go on any mail runs." Ken muttered. "You know that I've been busy." He looked up at Jun, meeting her eyes with an accusing glare. The Swan jumped back as if the Eagle had hit her.

"I'm sorry, Ken." she apologized. "I'll get you that sandwich." Jun hurried off into the kitchen.

Joe nearly snorted out loud in disgust. What the hell was Ken doing? When he had lost his bracelet a couple of days ago, Jun had been extremely supportive and concerned, and Joe hadn't seen Ken brushing her off then. But now that he had his communicator back and wanted free food, he was being almost nasty to her? What was wrong with this guy? Didn't he have a clue as to how the Swan felt about him?

Jun came rushing back in with Ken's sandwich and drink, placing them in front of him.

"I gave you some fries too, Ken." she said. "No charge."

"Thanks." Ken mumbled, bending his head down to eat.

"You know, I was going to turn on the jukebox." Jun said shyly. "Maybe after you're done with your dinner we could dance?"

Ken finally looked up at Jun, and Joe could see a tight, pinched expression on the Eagle's face.

"I don't think that would be such a good idea, Jun." he said coldly. "I don't dance."

Jun's face fell, and her eyes took on a hurt expression. Her mouth dropped open, and she stared at Ken for a few moments, as if searching for words. After a long moment, she finally spoke.

"I understand, Ken."

As soon as she had uttered these words, Jun ran out of the bar, pushing past a confused Ryu who was just entering the Snack J.

"What's going on with Junie?" he asked, confused.

"Can you take over here, with Jinpei?" Joe asked the Owl.

"Sure…" Ryu stared at Joe quizzically.

"Thanks." the Condor replied. "Ken will explain." He shot a dark look in Ken's direction, but the Eagle was simply staring off into space, chewing his dinner absently.

Joe tossed a few dollars onto the bar to pay for his drink, then ran outside in the direction in which Jun had gone.

The road was dark; the sole streetlamp giving off only a weak illumination. There was no one in sight, but Joe thought he heard something off to his left. He moved to the side of the J and looked down the narrow alleyway that ran along the side of the building. There, in the near-blackness, Jun was standing; her head bent against the wall, her shoulders shaking.

"Jun…"

She did not answer, but merely angled her body slightly in a futile attempt to hide her face from him as a light rain began to fall.

Joe stepped forward, uncertain of what to do.

"Come for a drive with me." he suggested.

It was an off-the-cuff idea, but it seemed to be the right one. Jun turned toward him, nodding slightly, and let him lead her to his car. Joe opened the passenger side door for Jun and helped her inside, before moving over to his own door and climbing into the passenger seat. He took off into the dark night, the rain a soothing 'white noise' in the car's otherwise silent interior. Joe didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care. His only thought was that he wanted to get Jun away from the Snack, and make her smile again, in the way she had been doing earlier that evening.

Jun did not speak, but merely looked out the window, her forehead pressed against the glass. When Joe stopped at a red light, he could see wet streaks running down her cheeks that had nothing to do with the rain.

After about twenty minutes, they were on the outskirts of Utoland, near Dr. Nambu's old property. Galactor had destroyed the villa and its outbuildings some time ago, but the rest of the land was still much as Joe remembered it from growing up there. Instinctively, he turned off of the main highway and onto the narrow driveway that had once led to the garage and main house. Since no one lived on the property anymore, the security posts were unmanned and the Condor had no trouble entering the grounds. He turned off on a nearly invisible side path: an overgrown dirt road once used by the groundskeepers. It was rough going for a bit, but eventually they reached the meadow where Joe, Ken, and Jun had first taught themselves to drive in one of Dr. Nambu's old cars. Joe pulled up underneath a large tree, letting its long branches protect his vehicle from most of the gentle rain. He got out of the car and went to the trunk, pulling out an old towel from the back. He then proceeded to dry off the front hood and windshield of the car, while Jun sat unmoving in the passenger seat.

Joe tossed the towel back into the trunk, and pulled out a worn blanket. He draped the woolen cloth over the still-warm hood, and opened Jun's door.

"It's a little too wet to sit on the ground like we used to," he said, "but we can sit up here." Without waiting for Jun's response, he jumped up onto the hood and lay down, his back resting along the car's windshield. Joe leaned back his head, closed his eyes, and waited.

He was rewarded by the sound of the car door closing, and then he felt the automobile rock slightly as Jun climbed up next to him. The Condor did not open his eyes or say anything, but merely waited for the Swan to make her own move.

For nearly a quarter of an hour, they lay there next to each other on the hood of Joe's car, the occasional drop of rain making its way through the canopy of branches above them and falling down to splash on their arms or their faces.

"What's wrong with me, Joe?"

He did not open his eyes, but simply answered the question that he had been asked.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Jun. Ken's just… well, he's got a lot on his mind, right now. You know that things haven't been easy for any of us, lately."

"I know…" she sighed. "I just wish…"

Joe's body tensed. He knew what Jun wished for, but he had no idea what he would say if she chose to voice such a thing out loud. It was easy enough to avoid when Jinpei ribbed her about it in front of everyone, but here, in this place…

Fortunately, Jun changed the subject.

"This is nice." she said quietly. "Thanks for taking me here, Joe. It's like being in another world, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Joe nodded, pleased that Jun felt the same way he did about it. "Sometimes, I want to be that boy again: the one whose biggest problem was waiting for Hakase to go away on another trip so he could 'borrow' the old car to go joyriding…"

"Things certainly were much simpler, then." Jun observed. "But at the time, life seemed so complicated…"

"It can be simpler again, once we end this war with Galactor." Joe said.

"I hope so. Maybe then, Ken will…"

Joe waited anxiously for Jun to finish her thought, but she chose not to do so. Cautiously, he cracked open one eye and saw her face close to his, staring at him with a curious expression.

"What do _you_ want, Joe?" she asked him. "After the war is over?"

"I want to race." Joe shrugged, keeping his eyes fixed on hers.

"I know. But… do you want to settle down? Be with… someone?"

"I suppose." Joe replied slowly. "It's not something I've given a lot of thought to. I'm not exactly a 'white picket fence' kind of guy."

"That's true." Jun agreed. "But it doesn't have to be that way. I'd be happy anywhere, as long as I was with…" She turned away, realizing that she had said too much. Even in the darkness, Joe could tell that her face was red. Slowly he sat up, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder.

"After the war, things will be different, Jun." he said. "I'm sure it will happen that way for you."

"Thanks, Joe." she whispered, turning back to face him. "I appreciate that."

Joe's hand dropped from Jun's shoulder, and he checked the time.

"Should we be going?" Jun asked.

"Only if you want to." Joe answered. "I have all night."

"I guess I do too." Jun shrugged. She lay down next to Joe on the car hood, and together they listened to the sounds of the soft rain hitting the trees, a comfortable silence wrapping itself around them.

"You were right, what you said earlier." Joe admitted quietly, his eyes still closed and his face turned up toward the trees and the nearly hidden night sky. "There are days when I long for something simpler. But then…"

Jun did not urge him to talk, but lay silently beside him. Joe took a deep breath, and as he let it out he felt a warm pressure on the back of his fingers.

Jun had laid her hand over his.

The gentle understanding she was communicating in her touch was enough to encourage him to go on.

"But if I had stayed that boy, I wouldn't be who I am now." he said. "I wouldn't be fighting against Galactor, revenging my parents…"

"Is that _all_ this is to you, Joe?" Jun asked, her hand falling away from his. "Revenge? Isn't there _anything_ else that motivates you…?"

Jun's voice broke, and Joe knew that she was remembering her lost friends at the orphanage where she had lived with Jinpei. Joe had his own demons to deal with on that front. He had been horrified to learn that his old friend Lucy had become a cyborg… turned into an inhuman machine by Galactor. But despite that, in the end, she hadn't been able to betray him. Somehow, despite all of her mechanical parts, Lucy had still had a heart.

Joe shuddered softly. The idea of having one's humanity stripped away and replaced with mechanical parts was a disquieting one. Given the choice, Joe suspected that like Lucy, he too would prefer death.

But none of this was answering Jun's question.

She sat silently, waiting for his response. Joe opened his eyes slowly, only to see Jun lying next to him on her side, her face only a few inches from his. He turned slowly, meeting her solemn gaze with his own.

"Yes." he said quietly. "It's important to be free. To not have to kowtow to anyone else just because they say so. Galactor wants to run roughshod over everyone who gets in their way. I can't let them trample over innocent people whose only 'crime' is not agreeing with those terrorists. Revenge is just icing on the cake."

Jun looked at him in the darkness, her mouth shaping itself into a soft smile as she heard his answer.

"So you want to stop Galactor for the sake of innocent civilians?" she asked, an amused lilt in her voice.

"Not just them." Joe replied seriously. "For _all_ of us. For Hakase, for me… for you."

A strange expression crossed Jun's face, and the next thing Joe knew she was in his arms, the warm, clean scent of her hair filling his nostrils. She hugged him tightly, and awkwardly he embraced her in return.

"You've been through as much as any of us, Jun." he whispered. "You deserve to be happy." She nestled herself into his arms, and suddenly Joe found himself wishing at that moment that Jun _was_ happy, right then… even without...

"So does Ken." Jun said quietly. "He deserves to be happy too. You're right, Joe. He's been stressed out more than any of us. Once this war is over, he can be happy."

A cold mist settled over them, and the bare skin on Joe's arms prickled into gooseflesh, despite the warmth of the woman with him.

"Yes." he agreed, a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Once the war is over, we can _all_ be happy."

If only that were true.

8888

Red Impulse growled impatiently as he turned off the ignition of his car. Another wasted night in Hontwal. Officially, he was no longer working for Sosai, and therefore no longer held the position of Galactor's contact with the Defense Minister there. Still, no one seemed to have informed the Hontwal administrators of that fact. Red Impulse still continued to do the job that he had promised Sosai… partly because he had promised to do so, partly because it was force of habit, and partly because he somehow felt closer to the alien entity when he was there.

Still, due to the current political intrigues in Hontwal, it had been a week since he had been able to accomplish anything in that country. Sighing to himself, the Colonel parked his car in its usual hiding spot, then ducked behind it to change out of his white suit and into his more familiar red uniform. Once he was done, he moved silently through the dark night toward the spot some two kilometers away where he had concealed his red jet. His eyes and ears were alert, and he constantly checked over his shoulder for any sign that he was being followed.

There was none.

As he pushed through the dense tropical forest, he thought about the sad joke that his life had become since Sosai had abandoned him. He still found it difficult to believe that the bumbling Berg Katse had managed to retain Sosai's favor, while he, Red Impulse, who had always delivered exactly what he had promised, had been pushed aside.

At first, the Colonel had thought that Sosai had only done this in a fit of anger. After all, the alien entity was subject to unpredictable mood swings, and surely it would only be a matter of time before he realized how much he needed Red Impulse.

But as the days and weeks had passed, there had been no word from Sosai. And eventually, Red Impulse had had to face up to the truth.

He was on his own.

For the first time in his memory, he did not have anyone to call on, to serve, or to love.

He was completely alone.

Of course, _technically_ that wasn't true. He had Masaki and Oniishi with him. They didn't understand the Colonel's strange change in mood, and because they could not understand, they were of no comfort to him either.

After a while, the Colonel had finally decided to throw himself into the Red Impulse Squadron. He had taken on as many missions as he had been able to, chortling to himself as he had gleefully destroyed as many of Berg Katse's men as he could, despite the fact that Galactor was now sending far more competent troops than the UN was used to facing. Every moment the Colonel saw the look of terror on a goon's face before he died was a second of pure satisfaction.

If _he_ could not serve at Sosai's side, then Berg Katse sure as hell wouldn't.

On occasion, the Red Impulse Squadron had even helped out the Science Ninja Team, whether it be assisting them by protecting the God Phoenix as they used high-pressured oxygen as a specialized weapon against Galactor's latest mecha, or helping them defeat a fleet of mechanical cockroaches.

But even these momentary thrills were essentially meaningless. Red Impulse could thwart Berg Katse and prevent him from achieving his objectives, but when all was said and done, all that accomplished was to make the Colonel feel even more empty inside.

He had no goals; no source of happiness. All he could strive for was to prevent someone else from reaching their goals. And so it was that the Colonel began to wonder what else life could offer him.

It was then that he remembered that he had a son.

Of course, he _knew_ that Ken was his son, but it disgusted him to think of the boy as such. Ken was weak, and careless, and…

But what if Ken had the proper training?

Oh, Kozaburo Nambu had taught him to fight well enough, but the boy had no concept of _true_ strength, nor of the steel and ruthlessness that were required to truly accomplish anything. But _perhaps_ he could be taught.

A calculating smile drifted over Red Impulse's face. This could be _exactly_ the project he had been looking for to occupy his time. And if he were successful, he would leave a legacy behind him.

As he flew back to South Island, Red Impulse began to formulate a plan.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The following night it poured again. Joe grunted in frustration, as he guided the G-2 through the dark, rain-washed streets of Utoland. The Science Ninja Team was no closer to defeating Galactor now than they had been when they had first faced down the Turtle King. Every time they destroyed a Galactor mecha, or a base, there was always another one waiting in the wings. If anything, Berg Katse had only stepped up his attacks, coming at them faster, and harder, and each time it seemed as if the Science Ninja Team had barely escaped by the skin of their teeth.

Which made this current lull between Galactor offenses especially unsettling.

Still, Joe needed a chance to relax. Instinctively he headed for the Snack J, eager for a drink and his familiar seat. The damp weather would likely be keeping customers away, and it would be quiet and comforting.

Of course, something else would be keeping Jun's customers away. The recent rash of disappearances in Utoland, all of them women, had people locking their doors at night. The Utoland Police Department had their hands full dealing with the situation. Joe hoped that there wasn't some sick killer on the loose. Not that he was incapable of taking care of himself if he ran into such a degenerate. In fact, the Condor suspected he would quite enjoy himself in such a situation.

But for the moment, all he wanted was the familiar comfort of the Snack J.

Joe walked into the Jun's Joint, the bell above the door jingling as he did so. Instinctively he moved toward the bar, only to see Ken sitting there. He and Jun were engaged in some kind of conversation, and the Condor was reluctant to interrupt them. Instead, he went to sit at a table with Ryu, who was busy digging into a sandwich.

"Hi, Joe!" he mumbled through his full mouth.

The Condor returned the greeting, then picked up a discarded newspaper that lay on the table. He flicked through the pages, reading an article as Jinpei cleared away Ryu's plate and brought it back to the bar for cleaning.

"Man, these crimes are sick!" Joe muttered angrily as he read through yet another account of disappearing females. "Attacking women is just plain wrong!"

"You're right." Jun said sadly. She had finished talking to Ken, who was now brooding on his own at the end of the bar. "Young people are so afraid that they just stay home, and it's killing my business!"

"I don't mind." Jinpei smirked. "I can't stand all of the grunt work I do around here!" The kid's attitude annoyed Joe. Jun worked hard to give Jinpei a place to stay and a roof over his head, and the boy resented pitching in with the Snack. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jun was faster than he was.

"Listen, you," she lectured Jinpei, "if you want you can always just leave!"

"Yeah?" Jinpei retorted. "I leave and you guys starve, because none of you can cook!"

"What are you talking about?" Jun huffed. "I can cook!" Joe winced. Jun _thought_ she could cook, but in reality her skills were rudimentary. _Very_ rudimentary.

"All you cook is TV dinners!" Jinpei shot back.

"That's not true!"

"If I'm lying, I'm dying!"

This kind of petty argument was usually beneath Jun, but Joe could see that she was stressed out, likely from dealing with Ken's rude behavior. She was therefore startled when Ken broke in on the 'conversation'.

"Quit it, you two!" the Eagle shouted angrily. "Calm down! Why don't you go outside and cool your heels, alright?"

Everyone stared at Ken.

"All of the murders have occurred on rainy nights like tonight." Ken grumbled. Joe nodded. At least Ken was thinking about something important, and not just brushing Jun off for no reason, like he usually did.

"But this isn't our job, Ken." Ryu reminded the Eagle. "We should probably just leave it to the Police."

"You're right, big guy." Ken said, his expression suddenly calm and smiling. He stood up and moved toward the door. "I've got to cruise." Joe was instantly suspicious. What could change Ken's mood so quickly, and send him running out of the Snack?

"Wait!" Jun cried. "Where are you going?" She jumped lithely over the counter and chased after Ken, her eyes practically begging him to stay.

"Hey!" Jinpei exclaimed. "Try and act like a lady! There's a door right here!" The boy burst out from underneath the counter.

"But it's raining out there!" Jun protested Ken's departure, ignoring Jinpei's rudeness.

"I'm just going to look around some." Ken told Jun patronizingly. He opened the door, looking up at the rain and taking a deep breath, as if the J had been far too stuffy for him. The he looked down at a weed growing in the sidewalk next to the oversized letter J out in front of the restaurant.

"So what are you planting these days, Jun?" he asked her, before splashing off through the puddles.

"Ken, please be careful!" Jun called after him, but the Eagle ignored her.

"Wait just a minute! I don't remember planting any flowers out there…" Jun said to herself.

"I don't remember her _ever_ planting flowers!" Jinpei joked as he picked up a glass from Joe's table. "It'd be way too girly of her!" Joe turned to glare at the boy, but Jinpei didn't see the stern warning, although Jun's ears heard all.

"_What_ was that, Half-Pint?" she asked angrily.

"Nothing!" Jinpei replied with forced innocence.

Joe couldn't stand it any longer. He wasn't in the mood for this bickering atmosphere.

"I think I'll go take a look around too." he said.

"Yeah, let's go!" Ryu added, clearly fed up with Jinpei's attitude as well. Unfortunately, the kid didn't take the hint.

"Hey, hey, wait up! I'm right there with you!" Jinpei shouted.

"What?" the Swan crossed her arms and glared at the Swallow.

"D'oh!" Jinpei winced, before recovering himself and letting his big mouth fly with its usual disrespect.

"Aw, come on!" he snapped rudely. "Stop being so uptight! There's nobody in here! Just let me go!"

"But then _who's_ going to do the cleanup?" Jun asked sensibly.

"You do it! You've got to learn, or nobody'll want to marry you!" Jinpei mocked as he sauntered out the door. That did it. Joe let his fist fly. He decked the kid so hard the boy fell into the mud.

"What was that for?" Jinpei asked angrily.

"Just taking care of something Jun should have done." Joe grimaced. "Usually she's a little more on top of things like this."

"You've got that right, Joe." Ryu said placidly. "Jun's just not herself tonight."

Joe felt badly leaving Jun behind, and he had been somewhat annoyed when he had realized that Jinpei and Ryu were joining him. It hadn't been his intention to leave the Swan alone. He had just wanted to get away. The way Jun had run after Ken when the Eagle had tried to leave had made Joe feel uneasy, and the usually comforting atmosphere of the Snack J had instantly dissipated. Even more, there was no way Joe wanted Jun out on the streets with this maniac on the loose… or whatever it was that was taking and killing all of the women in Utoland. Ninja or no ninja, no matter how small the chance, Joe knew that he could never bear to see Jun hurt or worse… he didn't want to think about 'worse'. He would just do everything he could to prevent that.

Even if that meant driving around on a rainy night, scoping out the area around the Snack J while Jinpei and Ryu squabbled in the back seat. The Swallow's attitude had only worsened since leaving the Snack and his 'precociousness' was getting on the Condor's nerves. It was with a sigh of relief that Joe dropped Jinpei and Ryu off at Ryu's Marina, and reclaimed his solitary silence once more.

But they hadn't found anything. Whoever… or whatever… was killing the women of Utoland was as much of a mystery as ever.

An image of Jun, alone at the Snack J, arose in Joe's mind, and he suddenly felt uneasy. Rather than driving back to his trailer, the Condor went back to Jun's restaurant, wanting to reassure himself that she was okay.

She wasn't okay.

Joe arrived to see the Swan in full Birdstyle, kneeling on the sidewalk, picking through a small pile of blackened debris. The expression on her face was one of shock, as if she were experiencing a delayed reaction to something, or someone.

The Condor pulled up in his car, getting out and rushing over to her side.

"Jun, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Jun said slowly, rising to her feet on shaky legs, while Joe held out his arms to steady her. "But there's not much left to show Hakase…" she gestured helplessly at the blackened detritus in front of her.

"Much left of what?" Joe asked, but the moment the words had left his mouth he suddenly knew the answer. "You found whomever's responsible for the disappearing women?" He looked back down at the sodden mess on the ground.

"Not whoever… _what_ever." Jun corrected him woodenly. "It was flowers…"

"Flowers?" Joe was confused.

"Yes." Jun nodded. "I have to go tell Hakase, immediately." she insisted.

"I'll take you." Joe said, pulling Jun to his car. It was clear that she was in no shape to drive. He led her over to the G-2, where she de-transmuted automatically, returning to her civilian attire and mechanically getting into the front passenger seat. Joe slid in beside her and started the ignition.

It was a bizarre mirror of the evening before, when Joe had driven Jun to the site of Dr. Nambu's former villa. Then, she had been upset about Ken's 'arms' length' treatment of her, but tonight she was unsettled about something completely different. Yet once again it was Joe who was taking her away from the scene of her distress.

"What happened, Jun?" he asked, his eyes drifting over to where she sat as he drove. The rain was beginning to let up, and the silvery moonlight settled onto her face, giving the Swan an almost otherworldly appearance.

"They were… in the bar."

"What? You mean, the guy who's abducting women…?"

"Yes… I mean, no… I told you. It wasn't a _guy_."

"Then, who was it?"

"Flowers."

"_Flowers_?" Joe didn't really believe this was possible.

"Yes." Jun turned to look at Joe, her face in deadly earnest. "Giant flowers, Joe. They moved across the restaurant and attacked me."

"What did you do?" Joe asked anxiously.

"I fought them." she replied, but there was no trace of the pride she usually evinced when she said such a thing. "I ran outside, and there were more there. So I jumped up on top of the building, transformed, and blew them apart with my Yo-Yo."

"Those blackened remains…"

"The flowers." Jun confirmed. "They shriveled up and died very quickly. First they appeared so suddenly, and then they attacked viciously, and then, once I had exploded them, they immediately shrank into those black vines. It all happened very fast. But…"

"But… what?"

"It gave me the creeps, Joe."

Jun's voice had been very quiet, and now she was looking away, as if in shame.

"Lots of stuff gives me the creeps." Joe said casually. "Most of those animal mecha that Galactor uses are pretty frightening, if you think about it. And then there are the times we've seen the casualties in the cities that have been attacked by Galactor… it disturbs me. But you have to push it aside; not think about it. Just get your job done and prevent it from happening to anyone else. Otherwise Galactor's got psychological warfare going on in your head. And trust me, I've got enough of _that_ for three lifetimes already."

"Push it aside…" Jun murmured. "I can do that. But it's… those women who die… to think that _this_ was the last thing they saw…" Jun shuddered.

"Psychological warfare, Jun." Joe reminded her. "Don't let those Galactor bastards win that one."

"I won't." Jun promised, teary-eyed. "Thanks, Joe."

"Anytime, Jun."

88888

Jun told Dr. Nambu everything about the flowers that had attacked her, and the Doctor called a meeting of the entire Team to discuss the threat. Nambu needed a live sample of the flower to examine for further analysis, but that could prove difficult to obtain, as these plants were apparently prehistoric in origin.

The Condor went off with the Eagle and the Owl to search for any sign of the mysterious flowers. Curiously enough, they never seemed to be around during the day.

Joe was glad to leave Jinpei behind with Jun. The kid had been especially annoying at the briefing; insulting and needling Jun, at a time when she really didn't need it. It had been bad enough the night before at the Snack, but the Swallow was still continuing in the same vein, despite the change in circumstances. The Condor had wanted to smack the boy, but before he could act on that impulse, the Swan had done it for him. Of course, Jun's slap had been a lot gentler than the one Joe would have delivered, but it had seemed to be effective all the same.

"There's nothing here!" whined Ryu, as they finished combing the grounds of yet another park. "Jun said the flowers _moved_… do you think they all went underground or something?"

"It's a possibility." Ken acknowledged. "Utoland does seem surprisingly empty of flowers right now."

"At least the sun is shining." Joe commented. "I think I've had enough rain to last me for a very long time."

"It won't be shining for long." Ken pointed out. "The sun sets within an hour."

"At least it's dry." Joe retorted, before narrowly avoiding a puddle on the ground.

"Mostly." the Condor amended begrudgingly.

"And this time, Jun's not on her own." Ryu added. "I feel pretty badly that last night she got attacked when we all took off."

"Jinpei is with her." Joe said grimly. "He'll contact us if something happens. He'd _better_." The Condor glanced sidelong at the Eagle. Ken appeared to be deep in thought, and did not respond to either Ryu's or Joe's comments about Jun. After a few moments, Ken appeared to mumble to himself.

"She'll be fine." But the Eagle didn't sound convinced.

Joe was surprised. So apparently Ken _was_ concerned about Jun's welfare after all. He was surprised, and pleased… and also angry. But before he could contemplate his reaction, Ryu spoke again.

"This park isn't giving us any leads. How about we try that meadow on the outskirts of town?"

"Good idea." Ken agreed, and they exited the park.

88888

"She _what_?" Joe yelled into his bracelet.

"She's gone!" Jinpei's sob came through the communications link. Ken and Ryu wore grim faces as they heard the Swallow's report.

"How could she be gone?" Joe demanded. He was ready to strangle Jinpei. The kid was supposed to have been watching Jun, not letting her go off by herself!

Ken sighed tiredly, his exhaustion showing in his face. They had been up half the night searching unsuccessfully for the flowers Jun had seen, and had crashed in Ken's shack only a few hours before.

"Look, just meet me in Utoland Central Park, okay?" Jinpei cried. The Swallow's nerves were clearly stretched to the limit, and his voice was cracking as he spoke. Whatever had happened, it was _bad_.

"We're on our way." Joe grimaced.

88888

"So where are we supposed to find these women-eating flowers?" Ryu asked doubtfully. Jinpei looked up sheepishly.

"I don't know. By the time I came to, they were all gone!" the boy whined plaintively. It all sounded like a crock to Joe. Would Jinpei really be knocked out that easily? By a _flower_? Jun had been attacked by flowers the previous night at the Snack, but she had easily blasted them with her Yo-Yo. Why wouldn't she have done the same thing again? The Condor decided to test Jinpei, to see if he would be consistent in his tale. It wouldn't be the first time the Swallow had concocted a story to divert blame away from himself.

"Are you sure you didn't dream all of this up, Squirt?" he asked sharply.

"No, I think Jinpei's telling us the truth." Ken said, misinterpreting the reason behind Joe's line of questioning. "There's no way the motorcycle and Sand Buggy could have been thrown around like that, unless there was one heck of an impact." Joe refrained from mentioning that there was no evidence that either vehicle had been 'thrown around', other than Jinpei's word. Both of them were undamaged and easily in drivable condition.

"Everything's true!" Jinpei insisted, addressing Joe as he sensed the Condor's disbelief. "There were humungous flowers, shaking all over!" This story was getting weirder by the minute. It was almost too much to believe. Except… Joe recalled the way Jun had been creeped out the previous evening by her encounter with the flowers. He had a sinking feeling that Jinpei _was_ telling the truth. But he had to make sure.

"Flowers can't move, you idiot!" Ryu berated Jinpei, turning away.

"But it's the truth! I saw it! It swallowed Onechan!" Jinpei insisted. By now, Joe was convinced, but he wanted a second opinion.

"You buying what he's selling, Ken?" he asked the Eagle.

"He's right about Jun disappearing." Ken murmured thoughtfully, as if reserving judgment. But the Condor could tell that the Eagle was coming to the same conclusion as the rest of them.

"It's true, you've just got to believe me!" Jinpei insisted, grabbing ahold of Ken's arm.

"Aniki?" the boy asked quietly, as the Eagle pulled away from him. But Ken's attention was elsewhere. He was focused on some small weeds poking up from the ground, next to a large oak tree. He bent down, pulling one out of the ground, roots and all.

"What is that?" Joe asked, but with a sinking heart, he thought he already knew the answer.

"I've never seen a flower like that before." Ryu offered.

"This flower… it's like the one in front of Jun's Joint!" Ken told them. "The one I saw last night when I left…"

All four ninjas stared off in silence, as they finally accepted what had been staring them in the face.

Jun _had_ been eaten by the flowers.

And after what Joe had seen of Jun's reaction to the flowers last night, he knew she would have been terrified.

Fortunately, Jinpei had told them that she had been wearing the protective suit that Dr. Nambu had designed. Joe could only hold onto that one thread of hope and work on the assumption that Jun was still alive. He didn't want to contemplate what life would be like otherwise.

"Jun is… gone…" Ken said quietly. His voice had a ragged edge that Joe couldn't identify.

"We'll get her back." Joe promised grimly.

88888

Somehow, Joe had managed to get onto the back of Jinpei's Buggy, the small flower-weed in his hand. Jinpei and Ryu had sat in front, while Ken had followed on Jun's motorcycle.

Suddenly, Ken had pulled over, with the lame excuse of checking on the bike. Joe had been suspicious, but he had pretended as if nothing was wrong. He hadn't wanted to alert Jinpei and Ryu to anything. But the Condor had resolved to find the Eagle and investigate this matter further.

So now, Joe found himself knocking on the door to Ken's shack, his knuckles pounding hollowly against the wooden frame. Within seconds, the Condor was met by a haggard Eagle.

"Come in." Ken said, but his tone was tired, and defeated. The relative calm he had exhibited at the park less than an hour before had been replaced by a grim resignation. This scared the Condor far more than an angry outburst would have.

"What do you want, Joe?"

"I want some answers."

"I don't have any to give you. You heard everything Jinpei had to say, just as I did."

"I'm not talking about Jinpei." Ken's head moved up sharply as he heard Joe's words.

"What?"

"I'm talking about why you ditched us on the way out of the Park."

The Eagle's stony expression was the Condor's answer.

"I'm not stupid, Ken." Joe admonished. "I could tell that something was up. You thought we couldn't handle… whatever it was you went back for."

"Of course you could have handled it!" Ken snapped angrily. "It was just a bunch of goons."

"Goons?" Joe spat. "You went back to fight some goons?"

"They were following us." Ken replied, somewhat more calmly. "They needed to be dealt with, so I did."

"And you didn't consider that Jinpei, Ryu, and I might have felt better if _we_ had had a chance to kick some Galactor ass right then?" Joe demanded. "I know _I_ could have used a few goons to pound."

"You needed to get the sample back to Dr. Nambu for analysis." Ken justified his actions.

"Not all _three_ of us." Joe countered.

A grim silence hung between the two men as they stared at each other. Joe glared at Ken, frustrated when he felt the need to blink first. His gaze moved around the room; a feeble excuse for breaking eye contact.

The splintered remains of a chair adorned the corner of the tiny living room. Magazines and papers were scattered along the wall, clearly having fallen out of an upended bookcase.

"Redecorating?" Joe raised an eyebrow. Ken winced.

"Just…"

The Eagle floundered for words, then decided to change his response.

"I've had trouble keeping my cool, okay?" he lashed out furiously. "I just feel the need to… _do_ something. I thought killing those goons would make me feel better… feel more in control."

"But it didn't work."

"No." Ken agreed. "It just made me feel worse."

"Welcome to my world." Joe muttered wryly, his eyes studying his friend intently. "I've never known you to be out of control like this before, Ken."

"We've never lost a Team member before, Joe." Ken acknowledged. "I'm supposed to lead you all; keep you all safe. And where was I? Wandering around a damn meadow while she…"

The Eagle's words cut off with a choked sound. He threw himself down to sit on the couch, his eyes bright.

"You..." Joe gasped with the sudden revelation, "you _do_ care for Jun! You've cared for her all along!"

Gatchaman turned his head away, his refusal to answer his second in command more damning than an outright denial. The Condor sunk slowly into a chair.

"Why didn't you ever tell her?"

"Because I can't do anything about it." Ken muttered angrily. "I can't allow myself to become… involved… with anyone on my Team. It could compromise future command decisions, put all of us in jeopardy…"

"Jeopardy my ass!" Joe shouted, barely managing to restrain himself from literally smacking some sense into Ken. "We'd all be thrilled as long as you and Jun were happy!"

"But that's just it! We _wouldn't_ be happy, Joe." Ken countered. "I'd be second-guessing every decision I made, wondering if I was putting her in danger. I couldn't live with myself if she..." the Eagle looked up in despair.

"You mean, like right now?" Joe asked quietly.

Ken turned away again, and it was a long moment before he spoke once more.

"I think it's time for you to leave, Joe."

The only response the Eagle received was the sound of the door closing behind the Condor.

88888

Joe arrived at the Monmouth Reservoir, as Dr. Nambu had ordered. A small hope burned inside of him that the Doctor had discovered something of Jun's whereabouts, or at least a way to track her.

But that slim hope disappeared when he got out of his car. Spread out in front of him was an endless sea of red flowers, covering the grass all around the Reservoir. A humming sound caught his attention, and he turned to see Ken's Cessna landing on the scrubland behind them. The Eagle jumped out of his plane and ran over to Dr. Nambu.

"Hakase!" Ken approached the group.

"Evidently, all of the Jigokillers have migrated to this location." Nambu informed them.

"It looks like a sea of blood." Ryu noted with unusual perception.

"What will happen if the Jigokillers gobble up all of the girls on Earth?" Jinpei trembled, clutching at the Owl for reassurance.

"Hakase, isn't it a good thing that they're all in one area?" Ken asked. "Can't we mow them all down at once?" Now _this_ was a command decision Joe could readily agree with.

"No, I'm afraid not." Nambu disagreed. "Even if you cut them at their base, the roots still survive."

"Then what about spraying some kind of chemical from the sky?" Joe suggested reasonably. "That would kill them, wouldn't it?"

"Just look where the Jigokillers are gathered. This is the city's Reservoir!" the Doctor replied. "At least ten million people depend on these water resources. We can't pollute it with chemicals."

"Damn it!" Joe swore. "Why did they all have to move to the Reservoir?"

"Galactor must be behind this somehow." Ken surmised. "They're probably all laughing at us right now." Of course, there wasn't much evidence to support that theory, but Ken knew as well as Joe did that it was generally safe to assume Galactor was behind any threat to the civilian populace.

"But, Hakase, isn't there anything that we can do?" Ryu asked plaintively.

"Burn them down."

Everyone gasped. The Doctor's tone had been almost… vicious.

"Since we have yet to discover the Jigokillers' weakness," Nambu explained, "that's our only option."

"No!" Jinpei cried angrily. "We can't! Onechan is trapped inside one of them!"

Despite the circumstances, Joe was amazed to see that Jinpei had been the first to protest this course of action. Perhaps the boy cared more for Jun than he let on. In any case, Joe agreed one hundred percent.

"What do you mean?" Nambu asked, confused.

"He thinks the Jigokillers got her." Ken admitted. What the hell…? They all _knew_ that those flowers had gotten to Jun! The Condor scowled as the Eagle tried to cover his own ass with their foster father.

"It's true!" Jinpei insisted. "I saw the flowers swallow her up, Hakase! But she's still alive. She was wearing that protective suit you made. She's alive. She's got to be! Why won't you guys believe me?"

Joe believed him. And even though the Eagle wouldn't admit it, the Condor knew that Ken did too. As if to deny his very thoughts, Gatchaman turned away, refusing to look at anyone else.

"How would we ever be able to identify the flower that's eaten Jun, out of so many millions?" Nambu's voice argued logically. "It's impossible. And the more time we waste, the more they multiply."

The Doctor continued his attempt to convince them, his calmly-spoken words worming themselves insidiously into their brains. But rather than soothing him, Joe found that they filled him with a righteous anger. He trembled violently. How could Dr. Nambu, of all people, be advocating killing Jun? Joe was all for defeating Galactor and protecting innocent civilians, but this time the price was too high.

The Condor looked at the others, attempting to gauge their emotional states. He could not be a part of this, but he didn't know how the others would react. Yet before he could say anything, the Owl spoke.

"Know what?" asked Ryu simply, sitting stoically down on the ground. "I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to help you kill Jun."

Joe was prouder of Ryu than he could ever have imagined. Whatever his faults, the Owl knew right from wrong, and was willing to stand up (or sit down in this case) for what he believed in.

"Right!" Joe agreed quickly, relieved that he wasn't alone in this viewpoint. "Even if it is for the sake of saving ten million lives, we can't just let Jun die!"

Jinpei nodded in agreement, but was apparently unable to verbalize his feelings, his mouth simply falling open in shock.

The Condor knew that this had to be killing the Eagle. His personal feelings for Jun, not to mention the loyalty he felt to her as a member of his Team, were at war with his duty: the very thing that had always been the crux of his existence.

Everyone waited for Ken to speak. He had not yet made his opinion known, and as leader of the Science Ninja Team, what he thought mattered significantly. But the White Shadow stood quietly, the long seconds ticking away, his tight shoulders and hunched frame screaming out the tension he was feeling in the otherwise relaxing warmth of the Spring afternoon.

At long last, Gatchaman turned and spoke.

"Fine! Then none of you have to bother! This bird can fly solo!"

Joe saw red. A white-hot rage rose up in him, and he wanted to channel all of that anger into Ken's body.

"You bastard!" he screamed.

In the blink of an eye, his fist clenched, and his arm shot out, hitting the Eagle cleanly in the jaw and sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Come on!" Joe growled. "What kind of a man are you? You're just going to let her die?"

The Eagle said nothing, but pulled himself up silently from the ground. This only infuriated the Condor even more, and he prepared himself for another attack. If he had to, he would physically stop Ken from doing anything to harm Jun. God help him… he was astounded that it had come to this.

Ken finally arose, his head hung down in shame, and with a flash of insight, the Condor realized that this was just as difficult for the Eagle as it was for him. Ken knew what he had to do, and he understood the emotional price he would pay to follow through with his duty. Joe bowed his head, doing his best to battle the terrible grief and rage that were fighting for control of his body.

Ken walked slowly to his plane, starting the engine and then taking off into the sky. He passed over the vast fields of flowers, beginning the process of emptying his fuel tanks over the blood-red killers.

Joe could hardly believe that this had happened. How the hell could he have _let_ it happen? Was Ken truly so much of a slave to duty that he would sacrifice Jun for the sake of innocent civilians?

But then, those civilians hadn't had a choice. Jun had known what she was getting into, as a member of the Science Ninja Team. She had always known that there was the possibility that she could die. She had voluntarily put herself on the front lines. The people of Utoland had not, and they deserved to be protected.

And Ken's expression, as he had walked away…

Joe swore softly to himself, then looked over at Jinpei and Ryu. His eyes refused to meet those of Dr. Nambu.

"It's bad enough that we might lose one member of the Science Ninja Team today," he said with quiet determination, "let's not make it two."

"What?" Dr. Nambu gasped.

"You didn't see the look in Ken's eyes, just now." Joe said angrily, finally turning his rage toward the Doctor. Just that afternoon, Ken had admitted to Joe that he had feelings for Jun. It had taken _this_ for Ken to finally acknowledge his own emotions. And now that he had, the Eagle's duty was telling him that Jun had to be sacrificed…

"He's not _just_ going to do his duty, Hakase." the Condor stated. "The prospect of losing Jun is destroying him. I think…"

Jinpei and Ryu stood frozen, staring at Joe in horror, anticipating what the Condor found himself unable to say. Nambu gazed unseeing into the distant clouds. It was now his turn to refuse to meet Joe's eye.

"You don't think that Ken would actually…?"

Angrily, the Condor wondered how Dr. Nambu could be so blind. Even though their foster father was likely unaware of any special emotional attachment Ken felt for Jun, the Doctor _had_ to know how Gatchaman felt about the members of the Science Ninja Team. That meant that the Doctor also had to be aware that if the Eagle followed through with his orders, it would be a betrayal to the Team.

"I do, Hakase." Joe nodded curtly. "This is going to kill Ken, one way, or the other."

"Then we shouldn't just be standing here." Ryu pointed out.

"Let's go." Joe agreed, nodding curtly to the Doctor.

The Condor, the Swallow, and the Owl took off in the nearby God Phoenix, staying close to the Eagle's Cessna as it finished emptying its fuel tanks. It was then that they monitored Gatchaman's transmission to the Doctor.

"Dr. Nambu, preparations are complete. It's time to set these bastards on fire!"

Yet, the Cessna had no weapons, even in its transmuted form. There was only one way that the Eagle could do such a thing…

Immediately, Joe contacted Ken on his bracelet.

"We'll take care of that, Ken!"

"Joe?" Ken's voice was shocked.

"We can't let you go down alone." Joe explained. "We're a Team, and we have to stick together."

"That's right!" Ryu added. "And as teammates we will stand by you, no matter what happens."

There was only silence from the other end of the communication. Joe knew that Ken was wavering. But they couldn't afford to wait and see if Ken made the right decision. There was too much at stake.

"Ken, get out of the way!" Joe ordered. "I'm going to shoot them a couple of Birds!"

Before he could think about what he was doing, Joe pressed the ominous red button that was usually so comforting to him. But today, it was an instrument of _his own_ destruction. He had never wanted to hurt Jun, and now _he_ was the one firing the missile that would send her to her death. Instantly, Joe regretted what he had done, but it was too late now. A raging inferno had already engulfed the fields of flowers below the God Phoenix.

As if to twist the knife a little further into the Condor's back, the Swallow ran up to the main viewscreen, staring mournfully at the orange-red swath of destruction it displayed.

"Onechan, please stay alive!" he begged, his hands clenched together in a form of beseeching prayer. "I promise I won't ever talk back! I'll do whatever you say! Just please don't die! I couldn't live without you, Onechan!"

Joe tuned out the Swallow's plaintive voice. Despite his nasty comments of the past couple of days, it seemed that the boy loved his sister after all. Deep down, Joe had always understood that, but at this moment the knowledge was a slap in the face, reminding him of what he had just done.

Solemnly, Joe directed Ryu to land the God Phoenix, and the three of them disembarked, standing on the grass with Ken and Dr. Nambu to morbidly watch the fire as it burned the vicious flowers. The prehistoric plants writhed in agony, their blood-red maws glowing crimson in the firelight.

Joe kept his eyes on the ground, refusing to look at any of the others, for fear his shame would be written all over his face. But as the Condor struggled to hold his emotions in check, the Eagle failed to do so.

"Jun!"

Ken's scream was one of utter anguish, yet it was only a dim reflection of the pain and misery Joe felt deep in his soul. For ultimately, it was _he_ who was responsible for Jun's death. _He_ had been the one who had pressed the button; no matter that he had also saved Ken's life in the process.

It was a burden he would carry with him forever.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Joe trudged grimly down the street. Force of habit had brought him to the Snack J, only to remind him that the person who brought the small bar to life was no longer there. He had decided not to enter, and had ended up walking around the block back to his car. But just as he had contemplated returning to his empty trailer, Ryu had appeared next to him.

"Can't keep away; but can't go in either, huh?" the Owl had asked quietly. Joe had shrugged, glancing only briefly at his teammate.

"The J is something special." Ryu had mused. "But I thought maybe we should check on Jinpei."

Joe had grunted in acknowledgement. The boy deserved that much, after Joe had taken away his sister from him. So now the unlikely pair was approaching the Snack once more. But before they arrived at the front door, they saw Ken walk over to the entrance.

Silently, Joe leaned against the wall of the J, Ryu next to him, both of them waiting to see how Jinpei reacted to Ken before they too ventured inside.

But Ken backed out of the front door only a moment later, his head bowed. He turned slowly, only slightly startled to see the Owl and the Condor waiting for him.

"I should probably go and try to talk to him, huh?" Ryu sighed, nodding his head toward Jinpei, inside the restaurant.

"Leave him alone." Joe said. Suddenly, he didn't think it was such a good idea. If _Ken_ hadn't been able to talk to Jinpei, then the kid must be in really bad shape. "Let him sort this out himself."

"But that poor kid is hurting, Joe." Ryu said quietly. "Jinpei has always loved Jun as if she was his real sister."

Guilt flared up again inside of Joe, but he covered his face with a mask of anger.

"Then he should fill himself with hatred for Galactor!" the Condor growled. "That hatred will help him forget!"

Ken grimaced, while Ryu's face wore a shocked expression, but neither said a word as Joe turned away from them, moving back down the street to his car.

"That's what I did." the Condor muttered.

But was it? Joe was certainly filled with hatred for Galactor, because of what they had done to his parents. Yet that hatred had not helped him forget. All it had done was to keep their memory alive, fueling his need for revenge against the people who had been responsible for their deaths.

Was that the kind of life he wanted for Jinpei?

No… the Swallow was worth more than that. The Condor was a sorry excuse for a human being: a man so emotionally crippled that he could barely function through life. And look what it had done for him. Yesterday, his emotional incompetence had cost him the one person in the world who was actually able to see inside of him, into his messed-up psyche, and accept him without reservation.

Jinpei definitely didn't deserve _that_.

Joe drove aimlessly throughout the remainder of the rainy afternoon, desperately trying to forget, yet knowing that he would never be able to do so. His life seemed to hold no meaning anymore. Strangely, revenge against Galactor did not hold the appeal it once had, knowing that Jun would no longer be fighting beside him.

His endless torment was interrupted by the soft beeping of his bracelet.

"Everyone, Dr. Nambu wants us to meet at his lab." Ken's voice came from Joe's wrist.

"On my way." the Condor replied, his tires screeching.

88888

Joe walked into Dr. Nambu's lab with the other three remaining members of the Science Ninja Team. While the others appeared dejected, the Condor wrapped his anger about him like a cloak, hoping to prevent his teammates from seeing the guilt that was gnawing away at the core of him.

"I'm glad that you're here." the Doctor said. "Take a look at the monster behind me."

Despite himself, Joe's eyes rose to behold the undulating tendrils of the giant Jigokiller flower that seemed almost to dance within the massive water tank in which it was housed. Despite its horrifying nature, it almost hypnotized him with its graceful, yet lethal movements.

"This was a tiny flower." Nambu continued, seemingly unaware of the Team's unease in the flower's presence. "Jigokillers tend to grow in the dark, and in water. During the day, they shrink to protect themselves."

"Their transformation's cooler than ours." Jinpei whined. It was the kind of comment Joe might normally have smacked the boy for, but it was forced, and half-hearted. The Condor found himself pitying the Swallow, who was only a shell of his former self.

"You've heard of Sea Monkeys, correct?" the Doctor ignored Jinpei's words. "Basically, the creatures live inside their eggs, until the conditions of their climate are suitable for hatching. The Jigokillers react the same way."

Joe could hardly believe that Dr. Nambu was so cool and detached, after what had happened yesterday. Did the man have no feelings at all? He opened his mouth to tear into his foster father.

But just then, the Condor was flooded with sudden understanding. The Doctor was burying himself in his work, just as Joe did in his fight against Galactor. Although their tasks were different, both men tried to cope with unwanted emotions in the same way. As Joe turned away, he hoped that Dr. Nambu was having more success with this approach than he was.

Nambu continued to describe the flowers' abilities, history, and life cycle. Joe listened with only half an ear, desperately wishing that the Doctor would just get to the point. But then something caught the Condor's attention.

"…once I do, I should be able to come up with a plan that will destroy them for good."

"But… I thought we took care of them already!" Ryu moaned, echoing Joe's thoughts. Wasn't _that_ what yesterday had been all about? Wasn't _that_ the reason why they had had to sacrifice Jun's life?

"What about the Jigokiller barbeque the other day?" Ryu added.

"Yeah." Joe agreed. "I haven't heard news about those finger-lickin' flowers since then." His weak attempt at a joke fell flat. The implication in what the Doctor had said was too terrifying to ignore.

"I'm sorry, Team, but they are still thriving." Nambu said in a cold, clinical tone. "Our previous attempt only temporarily stopped them from multiplying."

A cold fist of anger clenched itself about Joe's heart. What the hell was this? It had been Dr. Nambu who had insisted that they torch the flowers yesterday, at the cost of Jun's life. And now he was telling them that it hadn't even worked? The Condor's fingers twitched, and he had to fight the urge to physically attack his foster father.

"What?" Ken's voice was ragged. "You're saying the Jigokillers are still alive? Then that means we sacrificed Jun's life… all for nothing…"

Joe didn't need to hear Ken voicing the Condor's own thoughts out loud.

He had to get out of here.

"Do you still believe that Jun was trapped inside one of those flowers?" Nambu asked. His tone almost seemed like it was mocking them, as if they were silly children who were insisting that Santa Claus was real.

Joe had had enough. He stalked out of the lab behind Ken and Jinpei. He could hear Dr. Nambu calling after them, but like the others, he refused to answer.

The Condor had his own issues to deal with.

88888

It was approximately an hour later that Joe was contacted by Dr. Nambu on his bracelet.

"G2, you must locate G1." Nambu ordered. "Gatchaman is not answering my call on his bracelet. You _must_ find him! Willy City is being destroyed by Jigokillers as we speak!"

"I'll find him, Hakase."

The last thing Joe wanted to do was run after a petulant Ken, but he supposed having a task to put his mind to, even one as ridiculous as this, might help keep his thoughts from Jun. He set out in his car, going over to Ken's airstrip.

There was no sign of the Eagle. The shack was empty, but through the window Joe could see the G1 bracelet lying on the desk in Ken's small office. No wonder he hadn't been answering the Doctor's call.

Despite himself, Joe was beginning to get worried. He contacted Ryu and Jinpei.

"Yeah, Aniki's here at the Snack." Jinpei whispered, clearly attempting to answer Joe's communication on the sly. "Something's wrong. You guys need to get here right away."

The Condor picked up the Owl from his marina, and within a few minutes the two of them were walking into the Snack J. Sure enough, the Eagle sat at the bar, his head bowed and his shoulders shaking.

"Ken?" Ryu said hesitantly. The Condor decided to tackle the issue head on.

"What's your trip?" he addressed the Eagle. "I heard that you never responded to Hakase's calls."

"Yeah, well I already know what he wants, Joe." Ken snapped. "He wants us all to fly to Willy City. You go if you want, but I'm not."

For the second time that day, Joe had trouble controlling his urge to belt someone. How _dare_ Ken act like this: as if his feelings were more important than anyone else's? They _all_ missed Jun, but none of them were shirking their duties as members of the Science Ninja Team.

Except Ken.

"Ken, you're supposed to be the 'fearless leader' of the Science Ninja Team." Ryu reminded him.

"Well yeah, but I'm a human being too!" Ken retorted angrily. Sheesh. You could have fooled Joe. Right now the only thing Ken was acting like was a spoiled brat. Jun deserved a better honoring of her memory than that.

"I've had enough! Enough killing!" Ken declared, before sweeping his arm to send glasses full of orange soda crashing onto the floor. For a brief moment, the Eagle seemed to derive some small pleasure from the destructive sound that resulted from his action, but then he buried his face in his hands, refusing to speak any further.

After a moment, Ken stood up, walking out of the Snack J as the others stared at him in shock.

"I don't care anymore." Ryu mumbled. "You do whatever you want."

The expression on the Owl's face was one of defeat. Joe knew exactly how Ryu felt, but they couldn't afford to give in to that black abyss. If they did, there would be nothing left for them.

But then, with Jun gone, wasn't that already the case?

88888

Red Impulse stared at the weather-beaten shack in which he had once lived. It was hard to believe that it had changed so much, in these intervening years. But then, hadn't everything else changed as well?

No longer was he shackled by an unwanted wife and mewling child. But that had had a price… a price that, had he known the full cost, he would have been unwilling to pay. The loss of Sosai as his guiding light was still a wound that was fresh, and raw.

He wasn't certain that it would ever heal.

And yet, he had to try. The meaningless existence his life had become couldn't be _all_ there was. He refused to believe that there was nothing left for him.

His son could be the key.

Perhaps… perhaps if he could find something worthy in his son, then he would be justified in continuing his existence in this life. Guiding the boy, and teaching him what it meant to be a _real_ man. It seemed that Kentaro Washio was not destined to make his mark on this planet, but perhaps _Ken_ Washio was.

Yet that still remained to be seen.

He had come to Utoland to meet with his son, and assess whether or not there was anything in the boy to salvage; anything that might make him an asset to Red Impulse, or perhaps more.

He might be hoping for too much. But clearly Kozaburo Nambu saw something in him. And certainly Ken and his Science Ninja Team had become the proverbial thorn in Berg Katse's side. That said a lot for his son. But could any potential Ken might possess be appropriately redirected?

It was for this reason that he waited now.

The sun had almost completely set, and the lights of Utoland twinkled on the horizon behind him. His son was not at home, and so the Colonel waited next to the boy's Cessna. It appeared unassuming enough, but Red Impulse knew that with his bracelet, Ken could initiate its transformation to the G-1 Supersonic Jet, which was an impressive piece of flying technology.

Earlier that afternoon, Red Impulse had spoken with Dr. Nambu to ascertain Ken's frame of mind. The news wasn't good. The boy was bogged down in self-recrimination, berating himself for the loss of a teammate. And from what Nambu had said, there was still a reasonable possibility that the girl was still alive.

Red Impulse didn't have much use for females. They were pleasant enough, as a diversion, and certainly there were some that made him forget his troubles, when such a thing was desired. But as a group they were weak and useless, and generally incapable of assisting men in more important pursuits. There were exceptions, of course, occasional capable women, just as there were occasional idiotic men. From what little information the Colonel had, the female chosen for the Science Ninja Team was possibly one of those few, but that still made her the least valuable member of his son's personnel. Yet even so, the loss of even the weakest member of a team could cause an overly sensitive leader some distress.

He would just have to beat some sense into the boy. Once Ken had recovered himself, it would be easy enough to see if he had any further potential.

A set of quiet footfalls approached his position, and Red Impulse turned toward the source of the sound.

"Who are you?" demanded Ken.

The Colonel allowed a beam of light from the shack to fall upon his face, and the boy's eyes opened wide in recognition.

"Red Impulse! But why…?"

Yet rather than wait for an answer to his question, Ken turned away, and began walking toward the shack. Clearly he wanted to be left alone.

Something Red Impulse wasn't about to do.

"You coward." he sneered.

That got the boy's attention. He stopped in his tracks, his posture frozen in an attitude of defiance.

"You're not worthy of the name Gatchaman." the Colonel taunted. "To Hell with the Science Ninja Team!"

"Leave me alone!" Ken answered angrily. "I don't know you, and you wouldn't understand anyway." The boy had some spirit then. Good.

But that didn't mean that he was about to let up on his son.

"Of course I wouldn't understand." the Colonel mocked the boy. "You see, I'm a _real_ man. Not a spineless little wimp like you."

"What?" Ken finally turned to face his father, his face contorted with shock. Red Impulse crossed his arms smugly, laughing at his son's childish reaction to the taunting.

"Oh! I must have hit a nerve!" he laughed. "You look like you're getting angry."

"You bastard!" cried Ken, running at his father and grabbing him by his red leather jacket. Calmly, the Colonel stuck out his foot and tripped the boy, easily knocking him to the ground, as he had done when the Blue Hawk had been stolen. Did his son never learn?

Apparently so, for Ken immediately flipped back up to face his father.

Only to be met with Red Impulse's boot as it connected with his chin.

The great Gatchaman flew backward, the wind literally knocked out of him as he collapsed onto the ground. Red Impulse literally had to drag the boy to his feet, and when that didn't get a response he smashed his fist into Ken's face.

He reached down again, and _finally_ his son responded, throwing the Colonel over his body. Red Impulse smiled to himself as he easily maneuvered himself around to land on his feet, turned back to face Ken, and dealt him another boot to the head.

He finished with a side kick into Ken's stomach and a punch into the other side of his jaw, slamming the boy back against the propeller of his Cessna. Ken's body hung limply in midair for a moment, before collapsing onto the ground.

Red Impulse almost left then and there. This weakling was everything he would have expected from a boy raised by Sayuri. There was no fire, no drive… and apparently no ability, either. How had his son managed to drive Berg Katse back again and again?

But… perhaps he should try once more. What else did the Colonel have to live for, if not the possibility of revenge? He decided to try a different approach.

"Why are you so disturbed over losing a teammate?" Red Impulse demanded to know. "I've had to watch many of my friends and subordinates die." That was almost the truth. None of them had been his friends, and he hadn't exactly been unhappy to see them go, except as to how their deaths pertained to the battle at hand. But he suspected that his weakling of a son was more emotionally attached to his teammates than he should be.

"Sometimes there is no other way." Red Impulse lectured. "You can't protect the Earth from Galactor without getting your hands dirty. How do you even know that Jun is dead? Have you seen any evidence? If she's dead, why don't you salvage her bones? If she's alive, she's in trouble, and she can't get in touch with you. You should search thoroughly and leave no stone unturned."

Ken turned his face away in shame. He was accepting the truths his father was relating him, yet unable to face up to them. Red Impulse desperately hoped the boy would get up off of his ass and _do_ something. This sitting around and whining wasn't going to help anybody, and if that was all Ken was capable of, the Colonel should just abandon him right now.

And yet still, Ken did not get up, but merely lay on the ground, his expression pained, his… wait a minute! Was that a _tear_ in his eye? Damn it all to Hell, it was worse than Red Impulse had feared. This pathetic wimp had nothing whatsoever of his father's strength.

"That's what a _real_ teammate would do." the Colonel mocked. But his heart wasn't in it any more.

There was no hope for Red Impulse. No hope for his family… for his _name_. Sosai had abandoned him, and there was no one left to fight with him. This boy was so useless that he could never be counted on to help the Colonel achieve his goals.

As always, Red Impulse was alone.

As if Ken's weakness had infected him as well, a tear slid, unbidden, down the Colonel's cheek. He wept for the pathetic human being at his feet, and for the life of Kentaro Washio, which was now truly lost.

The dark night closed in around him, covering his retreat.

88888

But all was not lost.

Less than an hour later, while flying in his jet back to the South Island Base, Red Impulse received a transmission from Dr. Nambu. The Science Ninja Team was on its way to Willy City to track down their missing teammate. More importantly, they were determined to find the Galactor base that was the source of the Jigokiller attacks. The destruction of that base would be one more slap in the face for Berg Katse, and perhaps… just perhaps… Sosai might realize that he had been wrong to push Kentaro Washio aside in favor of his mutant creation.

"Looks like I knocked some sense back into you, Ken." Red Impulse said quietly to himself. "Go! Attack Galactor!"

His son might prove worthy yet.

88888

Willy City was only a shell of its former self. Every building within the once bustling metropolis was severely damaged, or completely destroyed. The UN had devastated the city in its fruitless attempts to exterminate the Jigokillers. But like the Science Ninja Team, they had discovered that such attacks would only cause the flowers to release spores into the air, so that the deadly plants could spawn once more.

As they entered the airport on the edge of town, Joe found it hard to hold onto the hope that had come bubbling up in his heart. When Ken had reported that he had received a Birdscramble from Jun, a weight had been lifted from the Condor's shoulders. If Jun was alive, then he _hadn't_/i] killed her. She was in trouble, but Joe could make it up to her. He could find her, bring her back to the Crescent Coral Base, and do whatever he had to in order to earn her forgiveness. That was something he could live with.

But there had been no further signal from Jun. There was no sign of the Swan, or of any Galactor activity whatsoever, in Willy City. Entering the airport through a crumbling wall, Joe surveyed the flowers that had taken hold there with disgust.

"Even though I know those flowers don't attack boys, they still creep me out." Jinpei whined as he and Ryu sat down on the floor.

"Do you really think that Jun will try to contact us again?" Joe asked Ken, searching for any sign of reassurance. He needed _something_ to hold onto, and as leader of the Science Ninja Team, it had always been Ken who had provided those slim threads of hope that had allowed the Condor to keep going. Of course, this situation was not like any other they had ever faced.

"Yeah…" Ken mumbled, but he hesitated a little too long for Joe's liking. Despite himself, the Condor couldn't prevent his own doubts from bursting forth to the surface.

"But what if it's a trap, like Dr. Nambu said?" Joe wanted to know.

"All that matters is, Jun is alive." the Eagle said with quiet conviction. The Condor was taken aback by the strength of Ken's emotions. The way his voice had sounded...

It was clear to Joe now that Ken's feelings for Jun were just as strong as hers for him. The Eagle's depression had evaporated completely once he had realized that the Swan was alive. And now, he was providing the reassurance that Joe had sought. Underlying Gatchaman's words was a promise that whatever it took, they would find Jun.

And that was all that Joe wanted.

Wasn't it?

"Besides, if it was a trap, I'm sure Galactor would have made their move by now." Ken pointed out, oblivious to Joe's inner turmoil. _This_ was the Eagle that the Condor knew: the man who calmly strategized and analyzed his enemy's actions while keeping his ultimate goal in sight.

Gatchaman was back.

They waited for what seemed like hours, but was in reality only a few minutes. When the soft, distinctive chirping came from their bracelets, they were all ready.

"There it is!" Ken exclaimed happily. "It's a Birdscramble, Joe!"

"Time to get this party started, Ken." Joe replied with grim excitement.

"That's Onechan?" Jinpei was uncertain.

"All right, let's get back to the God Phoenix!" Ken ordered. "Science Ninja Team, move out!"

Within seconds they were back onboard their blue and red warship. Since Jun was absent, Joe jumped into her seat and immediately began tracking the signal from his bracelet.

"We're getting close! Northeast at four kilometers!" the Condor reported.

Ken ordered Ryu to take them in, and before long, Joe had tracked down the location of the Galactor base.

"That's it! They're hiding inside the sewer system!" he exclaimed.

This was no time to bother with the niceties. Ryu plowed the nose of the God Phoenix straight toward Jun's location, crashing through the wall of a large interior chamber. A number of goons within the room went scattering, and their mere presence was enough to send the four ninjas racing up to the surface of their warship's hull.

Below them, a bizarrely costumed man, dressed in what appeared to be a shrunken bat outfit, stood surrounded by Galactor goons.

"We're the Science Ninja Team!" Ken announced. "End of the line, Bat Brain!"

"Gatchaman!" the Galactor Captain shouted, recovering himself.

"Team, go!" the Eagle ordered.

It was all that needed to be said. Joe had been longing to vent the frustrations and anger that had built up in him over the past few days, and this was his chance. With vengeful purpose he kicked, punched and shot his gun in a short, ugly fight. Within seconds he saw Jun encased in some kind of device at the bottom of the large, atrium-styled room, but Ryu was already moving to aid her. The sheer number of goons present prevented the Condor from assisting the Owl, but he was relived to see that the large man had things well in hand. Seconds later, the flash of transformation caught his eye, and it was the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld.

Jun had returned to the Science Ninja Team.

The Condor fought his way to the Swan's side, and his heart sang, watching the lethal grace of her movements as she dispatched the remaining soldiers with a grim determination. It didn't take long before the only enemy remaining was the garishly-costumed Bat Captain.

"Preying on helpless women!" Gatchaman growled. "You're just a coward!"

"What? No!" the Captain protested, even as the Eagle's hand sank into his gut. The Galactor sank to the ground, falling into unconsciousness, before Gatchaman slit his throat with his Bird Rang.

Joe forced himself to stand back, leaning against the wall. Jun only had eyes for Ken, and he was damn well going to give her a chance to speak to him. And now that the Eagle had actually acknowledged what he felt for the Swan, Jun would finally find the happiness she deserved.

The Condor felt a surge of emotion as the Swan approached the Eagle.

"Ken!"

Jun's voice was soft and warm, the intensity of her feelings brimming behind the single word she had uttered.

Ken's eyes opened wide, and his features relaxed from the tension that had all but taken them over for the past forty-eight hours. He reached out toward Jun…

Suddenly, his hand stiffened, and the Eagle landed a slap across the Swan's cheek. Jinpei gasped, and Joe's fingers clenched into fists. What the hell was wrong with Ken? They had thought that Jun was dead, and she had been a Galactor captive for two days, and _this_ was the way he welcomed her back to the Team?

"You acted on your own, without receiving orders, Jun." Ken stated coldly. Joe could hardly believe his ears. Dr. Nambu had practically _invited_ Jun to wear the suit and try it out! 'Without receiving orders' wasn't exactly the truth. And even if it had been, there were more important issues to deal with, for the moment.

And then, with sudden insight, Joe realized that for Ken, this _was_ the most important issue. Duty was paramount to the Eagle, and he was enforcing that priority here and now. The rebuff he had just given to the Swan was far more devastating… far more _final_… than any refusal he had ever sent her way during those nights at the Snack J.

"Aniki knows he's happy." Jinpei insisted to Ryu. "He should be hugging her!"

If only it were that simple.

88888

Red Impulse flew over the rubble that had once been Willy City. He and his Squadron had dropped the Y-Chromosome Bomb developed by Dr. Nambu only a few minutes before, and already it was clear that the Jigokillers were gone. It was likely that this urban center would never truly recover from the blow it had been dealt over the last couple of days. More importantly, however, the Colonel hoped that Berg Katse would have a difficult time recovering from the setback _he_ had just been dealt. As long as that mutant madman was not allowed to succeed in his plans against the Earth, he would continue to incur the wrath of Sosai.

It appeared the Ken had come through after all. The beating he had received at the hands of his father had apparently pounded some sense into his skull, and Gatchaman had been able to assemble his Team and lead them into the heart of the Galactor base.

Perhaps Red Impulse would have some assistance with his goals, after all.

88888

Joe stared grimly into the water flowing into the sewer system, carrying away the remnants of the Jigokillers, which had finally been destroyed. The scene should have been one of release, but nothing could surpass the intense relief the Condor felt that the Swan had been safely recovered. Joe had not said anything to Jun since her rescue, sensing that she did not wish to speak, particularly since Ken had reprimanded her in so callous a fashion. Yet he remained close by her side, offering her the small comfort of his presence, should she wish it.

At first, the Swan stood close by the Condor, but then she moved up nearer to the Eagle, clearly seeking to get past his harsh reaction to her behavior. It was painful to watch as she made some small comment about the tragedy of Willy City's destruction, only to have Ken tense up at her very closeness.

Even the Swallow sensed the rebuff, and awkwardly tried to change the subject by calling attention to the Red Impulse planes flying over the area. While it had the effect that Jinpei had intended of distracting everyone from the tension between Ken and Jun, it merely drew Joe's mind to another distasteful train of thought.

He had not been able to prove his suspicions to the Eagle. In Joe's mind, Red Impulse was suspect, yet he knew that for some strange reason, both Ken and Dr. Nambu were disinclined to agree with his point of view. Ken's offer to re-examine the matter if new evidence came to light was still officially open, but no matter what the Condor brought to the table, the Eagle's opinion remained stubbornly unchanged.

"You know, I can't help but feel some kind of strange connection to that man." Ken said quietly.

This was unnerving. Clearly Gatchaman was fostering some bizarre form of hero-worship for Red Impulse, and it was these feelings that were impairing his judgment of the man. Yet, Joe knew that if he confronted Ken on this matter directly, the Eagle would only become defensive, and more entrenched in his viewpoint.

"Why? What happened, Ken?" Joe asked.

"I guess he beat some sense into me." Ken shrugged.

This was news to Joe. 'Sense'? What kind of insidious ideas was Red Impulse putting into Gatchaman's head? The Condor didn't trust the guy further than he could throw him, and he certainly didn't like the thought that Red Impulse was messing with the Eagle's mind.

Jun shivered, and Joe moved slightly closer to her, his wings brushing against hers. Red Impulse would have to wait.

Right now, it was the Swan who was most in danger from the Eagle's obliviousness.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The sharp rapping sound roused him from his sleep. Joe groaned, his desire to return to his deep slumber thwarted by the persistence of the intrusive noise. He growled, pulling the covers back over his head. Whoever it was, they could wait. If it were a _real_ crisis, his bracelet would be beeping.

"Joe? Please open up! I know you're there…"

If it had been Ken who had uttered those words, Joe would have let the Eagle stew in his own juices. But the soft, pleading voice didn't belong to Ken.

The Condor stumbled to the door, scrubbing his face with one hand while opening the door with the other. Fortunately, his trailer was so small that this only took two steps.

"You _are_ here!" Jun smiled, as her presence on his doorstep was revealed.

Joe grunted, turning and taking a step back toward his bed, then changing his mind and pivoting mid-stride into the kitchen. He turned on the coffeemaker (his one extravagance as it was something he felt he couldn't live without) and the aroma of Italian coffee beans quickly filled the small space. Still ignoring his visitor, the Condor sank back down onto the bed, awaiting the arrival of his 'cup of Joe'.

"I didn't wake you up, did I?" Jun asked solicitously, a concerned expression on her face. Her wide green eyes darted around the unkempt room, taking in her host's disheveled state and lack of appropriate attire.

"I haven't been getting much sleep, recently." Joe grunted, roughly tugging a blanket over his lap to belatedly disguise the fact that he slept in nothing but his underwear. "Once you went missing, we all kind of fell apart."

"Oh…" Jun had the grace to look embarrassed, and quickly covered by busying herself with the coffeemaker as the black liquid emerged into an awaiting receptacle. "I'm sorry, Joe. I didn't think about that."

"It's okay." Joe mumbled, breathing deeply from the scent wafting over his way from the cup Jun was presenting to him. He sipped at the scalding hot liquid. Perfect.

"We're just glad you're back." he said after a moment, his eyes rising to meet hers.

"It's good to be back." Jun said, but her words were belied by the shiver that ran through her. Her hands rubbed nervously along her arms as she paced the tiny living space.

"Sit down, Jun." the Condor said, his words just short of an order. Nervously, the Swan nodded, slowly lowering herself to sit next to Joe on the bed. He waited quietly, sipping his coffee, until she finally had the courage to look at him.

"What's wrong with me, Joe?"

The Condor sighed. Hadn't they had this conversation less than a week ago? He certainly didn't want to get into it again now, but at the same time he understood why Jun was asking.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Jun." he said firmly.

"Then, why…?" The Swan's words remained unsaid, but the Condor could easily guess what she was asking.

"I don't know." he admitted. "There's something wrong with _him_; the way his mind works. If it makes you feel better, I know he has feelings for you."

"He does?" Jun's face brightened, and it was as if the sun had come out. "How do you know?"

"He admitted it to me, after you went missing." Joe revealed. "We were all torn up, but Ken was on the verge of quitting the Team. After we thought you had died, he took off his bracelet, and didn't respond to Hakase's calls. I tried to talk some sense into him, but he didn't listen."

"So… what changed?"

"Your Birdscramble." he answered. "He knew that meant that you were alive, and suddenly the old Ken was back, and he was determined to find you."

"But, if that's the case," Jun mused, "then why did he…?"

"He hit you because he's messed up, Jun." Joe attempted to explain. It was a difficult task, especially since he didn't quite understand it himself. "For whatever reason, he doesn't think he can _let_ himself be with you. He takes his duty as Gatchaman very seriously. As far as he's concerned, you disobeyed orders, and needed to be reprimanded."

"But, surely, under the circumstances…"

"You feel that way. I would have felt that way too. But Ken…"

"Ken is different."

"Yes."

The only sounds were Joe's slow sipping of coffee and the soft rustling of the covers on his bed as Jun pondered this. After a long moment, she spoke again.

"Do you think that will ever change?"

Joe frowned, deep furrows etching themselves onto his forehead.

"I don't know. He certainly was a different person when he thought you were dead. Maybe _that_ will be enough to shake him out of this."

"You think so?" Jun brightened considerably at his words.

"I'll do my best to help him see reason." Joe promised rashly, temporarily captivated by the eagerness that shone forth from Jun's face.

"You will?" Jun impulsively pecked his cheek with her lips, and then bounded up and toward the door.

"I knew I could count on you, Joe!" she cried happily.

The Condor stared after the Swan for a few moments following her departure, mentally berating himself, cooling coffee in hand forgotten.

What the hell had he gotten himself into?

88888

Two weeks later, Joe wasn't certain how much more of this he could take. At Jun's urging, he had been doing everything he could to accommodate her desire to spend more time with Ken.

Problem was, Ken wasn't cooperating.

And neither was Galactor. First, Jun had thought of taking Ken to a concert given by her favorite musical group. But when Ken had proven reluctant to go, it had become a Team excursion. As it turned out, this had been a good thing, since Berg Katse had abducted the Demon 5 mid-concert. The Galactor Leader had subsequently forced the band to play a special 'song' that when put through a musical mecha caused chaos, destruction and death in otherwise peaceful cities.

Once that threat had been dealt with, Ryu had requested some leave, and Dr. Nambu had been inclined to grant it. But the Owl had barely been gone before he had gotten into trouble, and Dr. Nambu had assigned the other members of the Science Ninja Team to set up an elaborate trap for Galactor, in order to determine the location of their secret headquarters. Despite the general success of the plan, at the last moment they had failed to learn that one piece of crucial information.

Then before they could rest, the entire Science Ninja Team had been assigned to act as bodyguards during the honeymoon of two political representatives, whose marriage was supposed to ensure peace in a war-torn region on the other side of the world. The peace had been maintained, but unfortunately at the cost of the lives of the two young lovers.

Between their hectic schedule fighting Galactor, and the poignancy of their most recent mission, Jun hadn't had much of a chance to further her goals.

And so now, of all places, Joe found himself in Utoland Central Park. Not only was the Condor generally unimpressed by parks, but he found himself uncomfortably remembering the last time he had been here: when the Team had gone to investigate Jun's disappearance. It had been here that the Jigokiller flower had swallowed her.

But none of that was apparently on the mind of the young couple behind him. Jun had tried to get Ken to take her on a walk through the Park, but somehow the Eagle had managed to convince everyone to come along. Jinpei and Ryu had wandered off, but when Joe had tried to do so, Ken had attempted to accompany him; in effect, abandoning Jun. Holding true to his promise to the Swan, Joe had decided to remain.

At least he was somewhat alone. Ken and Jun sat on a bench behind him, feeding the birds, while the Condor leaned against the fence and contemplated the fastest way to remove himself from the situation. Listening to Jun's unsuccessful attempts to get close to Ken was beginning to turn his stomach.

And now, of all things, they were talking about… the birds. This was going nowhere, fast. Joe _had_ to get out of there. But his conscience reminded him that he was supposed to be helping Jun, so he attempted one more time to jar Ken into action.

"Come on, you guys really want to spend our only time off looking at some stupid birds?" the Condor asked sarcastically. For a moment, he thought that the Eagle might actually have gotten the message.

But before Ken could do anything about it, Jinpei came rushing up, a portable radio in his hand.

"Aniki!" the boy called, sending the birds scattering as he ran toward them. "Listen to this! It's urgent! Check it out!"

"Nimrod, you scared all of the birds away!" Jun lectured Jinpei. But it was clear to Joe that it wasn't the birds' departure that was truly upsetting the Swan.

"To heck with the birds, listen to this!" Jinpei held up his radio, which was tuned in to a news report.

"There are hundreds of dead and wounded here in Moroi City." the newscaster announced. "Officials suspect that Galactor is behind today's horrible tragedy…"

"It's Galactor!" declared Ken angrily, his eyes flashing.

"I don't get it!" Jun was confused. "Why haven't we heard anything from Dr. Nambu yet?" It was a good question. Usually the Science Ninja Team would have been alerted to something like this long before it made the public news broadcasts.

"Hmm…" Ken thought the matter over. "That doesn't seem right. Let's head back to base."

88888

But at Crescent Coral Base, the answers they received from Dr. Nambu were not the ones they wanted to hear.

Galactor had developed a new mecha named Archaeo that was capable of using a powerful shockwave attack to destroy anything in its path. Even worse, the terrorist organization had announced publicly that they were planning on attacking the Usoda Peninsula the following day at noon. It was clearly a direct challenge to the Science Ninja Team.

"It's not the first time they've called in an attack." Joe noted. "They must not think much of us."

"Man, how in the hell does Galactor keep cranking out all of these mecha monsters?" Ryu whined. "I tell you, I think it's pretty ballsy of them to keep trying it over and over again!"

"They may be ballsy, but they're not too bright." Joe replied confidently. "We've got to get to the Usoda Peninsula, fast. Come on, give us the order, Hakase!"

"No."

Everyone goggled. What could Dr. Nambu be thinking?

"This mission is too dangerous." the Doctor explained.

"You're not going to let us go, Hakase?" Ken asked, astonished.

"There's no way that the God Phoenix can defeat Archaeo." Nambu insisted. "If you go out there you'll be repelled by the shockwave and blown to pieces!" Joe's hands clenched into fists. How dare Dr. Nambu just _assume_ that they would be destroyed? The Science Ninja Team had stood up to many Galactor mecha before. What made this different?

But before the Condor could protest, the Eagle spoke up.

"We can't just sit back and watch!" Ken protested. "We've got to do something! There's got to be a way to defeat it!

"No." the Doctor's expression was grim. "Ken, there is not. All we can do is evacuate the cities that Galactor plans to attack next, but the UN Forces will take care of that."

Joe could hardly believe his ears. Dr. Nambu was going to give up without even trying? If they faced this mecha, even if they lost that first encounter, surely their sensors would pick up new data, and they would be able to analyze the mecha's weaknesses! Why wouldn't he even let them _try_?

"No way, man!" Ken shouted angrily. "We can't just let Galactor push us around!"

Despite his agreement with the sentiments the Eagle expressed, Joe was shocked to hear these words coming from Ken's mouth. Always before, Ken had done whatever Dr. Nambu had asked. That was why the Doctor had passed over Joe for leadership of the Science Ninja Team. The Condor had gotten over that particular issue some time ago, but the incongruity of Ken's attitude was a shock.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do right now." Nambu said calmly. His tone was patronizing, but he didn't fool anyone, least of all, Ken.

"If I wasn't ready to die in action, I'd have quit already!" Ken declared, raising his fist angrily in the Doctor's direction. "Nobody's going to cry for this soldier!"

The expression on Jun's face stated otherwise, but wisely the Swan chose to stay quiet. Joe stared, fascinated by the furious power play unfolding in front of him.

"What are you saying?" Nambu asked, surprised. "Your father…"

Everyone froze. Ken didn't speak much about his father anymore, but they all knew how he still hero-worshipped the man he had barely known.

"I mean, if your father were alive, he wouldn't want you going on this mission." the Doctor hastily backtracked. "You're being reckless and stubborn!"

It was as if Dr. Nambu had come right out and backhanded Ken across the face. The Eagle froze in shock.

"Now, you're not going, and that's that!" the Doctor declared, as if they were a bunch of five year olds wanting to go out and play in a downpour. The tension was rife.

"So, we're spending the afternoon staring at these walls again." Joe drawled, attempting to draw the focus away from the anger that was building between his best friend and his foster father. All it did was temporarily shift the target of the Doctor's irritation.

"Listen, everyone." Nambu attempted to explain. "Recently Galactor has focused its efforts on killing you, the Science Ninja Team. So why should you walk right into their trap?"

"But either way, Galactor's going to get exactly what they want!" Ken countered. "Someone has to stand up to them! Isn't that why the Team was formed?"

"I refuse to let you throw your lives away!" the Doctor stated firmly.

"Hakase!"

"Ken, I said no!"

"But Hakase…"

No one could bring themselves to meet the Eagle's furious gaze as Dr. Nambu stalked out of the room.

88888

The members of the Science Ninja Team barely spoke for the next twenty hours. They went to their quarters on the Crescent Coral Base, they ate in the cafeteria, they worked out in the training rooms, but not one of them said a word to each other. Most of all, they gave Ken a wide berth, hoping that the uncharacteristic anger that he had displayed during their meeting with Dr. Nambu had dissipated. While Joe agreed with Ken's position on the matter, he was unnerved by the way in which the Eagle had lost his composure and faced off with their foster father.

Still, it was the Condor's hope that Gatchaman would order the Science Ninja Team to engage the Archaeo mecha, whether or not Dr. Nambu condoned such a thing.

By silent consent, at 11:30 am the members of the Science Ninja Team all met back in the conference room where they had been briefed by Dr. Nambu the day before. They still did not speak, but merely waited for a call to action.

A call that might never come.

Joe, Ryu, and Jun sat despairingly on the couch, while Jinpei shuffled aimlessly around the room and Ken stared out at the fish passing by the large window.

It was the Swallow who was the first to break.

"Damn those stupid jerks!" he swore, as his fists pounded the wall. "Are we really going to sit around staring at each other and let Galactor push us around like this?"

"Look Jinpei," Joe attempted to calm the boy down, "there's nothing we can do without Hakase's permission. You might as well just sit back and relax." But the Swallow turned away, crossing his arms and assuming a defiant posture. Despite himself, the Condor felt pride in the youth's actions, and couldn't help speaking his mind further.

"In the meantime, thousands of people are going to die." Joe muttered. "Just like my mother and father did."

"Stop it, Joe!" Jun cried, placing her hands over her ears. "Stop talking like that!" It was clearly tearing the Swan up to have to sit idly by in this matter.

"Fine! Then I'll shut up!" Joe snapped. He didn't mean to be so harsh to Jun, but it was difficult for him to keep his frustrations inside.

"Ryu, how far is it to the Usoda Peninsula?"

Everyone stared at the Eagle in shock. Joe rose to his feet.

"Ken…?" he asked, desperately hoping that his friend was going to do what he should have all along.

"Ken, are _you_ disobeying orders?" Jun asked in disbelief.

"You know what?" Ken asked, before answering his own hypothetical question. "If the Science Team can't protect the Earth from Galactor, I might as well quit!"

"I've been waiting for you to come around, my man." Joe smirked.

"I'm ready to take down those bastards or die trying!" Ryu chimed in.

"Yeah!" cheered Jinpei.

"You picking up what I'm putting down, Jun?" the Eagle asked the Swan. He looked intently at Jun, clearly seeking her approval.

"Well, I'm not staying here and missing all the fun." she replied.

"Of course I'll go Ken!" Ryu mocked Jun in a high-pitched voice. "I'd put my life on the line just to…" The rest of the Owl's words were cut off as the Swan jabbed him sharply in the ribs. Joe smirked to himself. Ryu had deserved that.

"I never knew you were so strong!" Ryu gasped in pain.

"All right then." Ken announced to everyone, ignoring the Owl's predicament. "As Leader of the Science Ninja Team, I order you to launch the God Phoenix immediately."

"Roger!"

88888

"Sir, you have an urgent communication from Dr. Nambu."

"Dr. Nambu?" This was unexpected. Usually Kozaburo contacted him once a week, to keep the Red Impulse Squadron informed of recent developments. The only reason Nambu would contact him otherwise was if…

Ken.

There had to be something wrong with Ken. Lately, the Doctor had been contacting him more and more about Ken's behavior. Apparently Nambu was having a difficult time keeping the boy in line.

Not that this was necessarily a bad thing.

"What is it, Dr. Nambu?" Red Impulse asked as he sat down at the Communications Terminal.

"It's your son." Nambu said without preamble. "He's gone off all half-cocked! He has no common sense whatsoever!"

"What has he done?" Red Impulse asked, an amused smirk teasing at the corner of his mouth.

"He went off in the God Phoenix to confront Archaeo at the Usoda Peninsula!" the Doctor replied.

"Isn't that his _job_?" the Colonel sneered.

"But I ordered him _not_ to go!" For the first time in Red Impulse's memory, the Doctor appeared to be nervous. He pulled at his collar, loosening his tie as he spoke. "The ISO has not been able to develop an effective defense against the mecha's shockwaves, and the God Phoenix is certain to be destroyed!"

Red Impulse swore a blue streak. If the God Phoenix and the Science Ninja Team were destroyed, then no one would stand in Berg Katse's way. That mutant freak would cement his position as Sosai's General.

"We're on our way."

88888

Fortunately, at supersonic speed the Usoda Peninsula was less than ten minutes' flight from the Red Impulse's South Island headquarters. Enroute, he got word that Archaeo had unleashed its shockwave attack against the God Phoenix. The Colonel arrived just in time to see the downed red and blue warship floating in the ocean, and a volley of missiles shooting forth from Archaeo's mouth.

Instinctively, Red Impulse aimed and fired, sending his attack directly into the path of the Galactor missiles, causing them to detonate well clear of the God Phoenix. Before the Archaeo Commander could react, the Colonel contacted his men.

"Commence attack!"

The three red jets sent forth a flurry of missiles, which Archaeo avoided, but only with some difficulty. The Colonel smirked to himself. They had them now. The mecha couldn't defend itself against missiles coming from three different directions, and Red Impulse was fairly certain that Galactor reactor technology hadn't improved enough to generate that infamous shockwave attack for long.

In other words, Red Impulse knew that Archaeo was out of tricks. The mecha had insufficient power to use its shockwave again, and couldn't maneuver against a multi-pronged attack. Predictably, neither Nambu nor the Science Ninja Team had noted either of these weaknesses.

However Galactor was well aware of its own limitations. The Archaeo mecha pulled back, and made an expeditious retreat.

"Cease fire, and save the Science Ninja Team!" the Colonel ordered.

Red Impulse had saved the day, once again.

88888

Joe groaned. The last thing he recalled was attempting to resist the massive shockwave that had passed through the God Phoenix. He had shot Bird Missiles at Archaeo… but they had had no effect…

It was coming back to him now. They had raced out of the Crescent Coral Base, heedless of Dr. Nambu's shouts that had chased them down the corridor. When the Doctor had attempted to dissuade them through a transmission to the God Phoenix, Ken had literally cut him off by terminating the broadcast. And then the Eagle had given permission for the Condor to fire.

He recalled sending out wave after wave of Bird Missiles. The first wave had been met with Archaeo's own missiles, both sets of projectiles exploding harmlessly in midair. The second wave had been caught by Archaeo's claws and hurled back at them. Then they had been so shocked by the appearance of fighter jets emerging from Archaeo that the Condor had been unable to fire any missiles before the God Phoenix had been enveloped in some kind of strange smokescreen, and then caught in the massive shockwave.

He turned his head, seeing Ken and Jun in the beds next to his. Further down, Jinpei and Ryu were lying in their own medical bays.

"You damn fools."

The voice sounded like it belonged to Dr. Nambu, but from his limited view, Joe could not see his foster father. He tried to look around.

"G2 is awake, Sir."

"Put him back under. He'll need his strength for the 'briefing' this afternoon."

"Yes, Sir."

A soft, fuzzy feeling entered his body, spreading through his veins. For a moment, he tried to fight the sensation, but then he relaxed, and let the welcoming blackness encase him.

88888

"You stupid kids!" Nambu raged, banging his hand down on his desk in a show of anger. "The only reason Galactor sent you that challenge was because they knew they would defeat you! Attacking an enemy without knowing their abilities isn't courageous, it's dumb!"

"But Hakase," Ken protested, "we were able to save the Usoda Peninsula from being destroyed!"

"I've had enough of your foolish pride!" Nambu spat. Joe couldn't ever recall seeing the Doctor so angry. "Ken, what would have happened if Red Impulse hadn't come to save you?"

"You're right, Sir!" Ken answered in a voice laden with self-deprecating sarcasm. "Red Impulse has always been better than us! We just can't seem to do anything right!" Angrily, the Eagle pulled off his bracelet, and placed it on the desk in front of the Doctor.

Joe simply stared in amazement. What was with Ken? This had to be the fourth or fifth time he had threatened to quit the team in the last month. This wasn't like him at all. Something deep within Gatchaman had changed.

"Ken, what the hell are you doing?" Nambu shouted.

"Why don't you just let Red Impulse wear this stupid bracelet?" Ken demanded. "You don't need our help anymore, do you?"

Even the Condor could see that the Eagle was being petulant. The Doctor was right that they were lucky to be alive, although Joe was still glad that they had tried. Still, it burned him to know that they owed their lives to the Red Impulse Squadron. The Condor still didn't trust them, and Red Impulse clearly had secrets and ulterior motives that he chose not to share with anyone else. It was troubling that no one else ever seemed to be bothered by this.

"Uh, Aniki…?" Jinpei was also distressed by this turn of events.

"I've had enough of your attitude!" Nambu growled at Ken. "You're not leaving this room until I give you permission!" The Doctor stalked out of the room like a frustrated parent who had just grounded an unruly teenager.

Of course, that _was_ pretty much what had just happened.

"Ken," Jun tentatively approached the Eagle, "don't you think you took it too far? I've never seen the Doctor that angry."

"Yeah, man!" Ryu backed her up. "You know the only reason Hakase's being like that is because he cares about us."

"What's up with you, Ken?' Joe asked. Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration. Perhaps he could bring Ken around to his way of thinking after all.

"You always get so bent out of shape when Hakase brings up Red Impulse." the Condor noted.

"That's not it!" Ken protested. "I just hate being constantly compared to that guy! It pisses me off!"

Joe smirked to himself. Finally Ken had seen the light: that Red Impulse wasn't the infallible hero that everyone assumed him to be.

88888

"It emits powerful shockwaves that destroy everything in its path." Nambu repeated. Behind his dark goggles, Red Impulse rolled his eyes. He already knew about the shockwaves, as he had read the ISO and UN files on the Archaeo mecha. "The only way we can defeat it is to stop them somehow."

Of course, that wasn't the _only_ way to defeat the shockwaves. They could simply wait out the capacity of Archaeo's power reactors. But the Colonel did not pass on this information to Dr. Nambu. After all, how could Red Impulse know such a thing, without intimate knowledge of Galactor mecha construction? And he wasn't about to reveal how he had come about such knowledge.

"I can't believe that Ken tried to go up against it without a thought for his safety." Red Impulse postured. Actually, he could believe it. The kid was becoming more reckless all the time. If those impulses could be appropriately channeled, he might actually be of use. But for now, all Ken was interested in was his damned Science Ninja Team.

"Irresponsible punk!" the Colonel muttered.

"You were just as irresponsible when you were young." Nambu pointed out. Of course, it had only _seemed_ that way to the Doctor. Young Kentaro Washio had hardly been able to explain his actions by stating that he was simply following orders from Sosai.

"I guess it's in his blood." Nambu concluded.

The Doctor had a point, there. There was no way this kind of behavior came from Sayuri's side of Ken's genetic makeup.

"Maybe so, but you raised him well for me." Red Impulse acknowledged. Again, this wasn't entirely true. The boy was too soft and weak, and was running around half-cocked without the proper knowledge of how to deal with opponents like Berg Katse. But still, the Colonel was eminently grateful that he had not been saddled with Ken's upbringing himself.

Yet Red Impulse knew that he had to evince some false regrets, in order to convince the Doctor to do what he wanted. He had an idea…

"In all honesty, it's kind of sad." The Colonel had to turn away from Nambu, more because he was having a hard time keeping a straight face than to continue his charade.

"He's grown up without ever knowing the love of his father or his mother." Red Impulse said quietly. He let a poignant silence hang in the air before he went in for the kill.

"So how about it, Doctor? Can I take the Science Ninja Team with me for a bit?"

"Take them? But why? Do you have something in mind?"

"I've got an idea, but they're going to need some intensive training, first."

"Then they're all yours. It will be good for father and son the get the chance to fly together, for once."

Red Impulse smirked to himself. Normally Nambu would never let these 'protégés' of his out of his sight. But the Colonel's little sob story, combined with Ken's recent rebellious behavior, had given the Doctor momentary pause to relent in this matter.

It was too bad for this foolish scientist that he had no idea what Red Impulse _truly_ wanted of his son.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The tension in the conference room was thick. Ken had kept his eyes glued to the window, refusing to speak to anyone after they had all verbally disapproved of his outburst. The Eagle had picked his bracelet back up off of the desk and replaced it on his arm, while everyone else had pretended not to notice.

Jinpei and Ryu sat dejectedly on the sofa, occasionally sighing as they glanced regretfully at Ken.

Joe couldn't stand it. He had been pacing the other side of the large room for a while in silence, until Jun had come over to join him. She had addressed him in a low whisper.

"What do you think Hakase is going to do?" she asked quietly. "When he left here…"

"He's going to cool down." Joe reassured her. "He's used to dealing with things analytically. He can't understand the emotional attachment we have to this job. We couldn't just sit here and watch Galactor ravage innocent civilians."

"That's true." Jun sighed. "I just wish that Ken hadn't been so… volatile."

"It's a side of him I haven't really seen before." Joe admitted. "It's not entirely a bad thing, but Ken seems to be a bit out of control."

"At least he put his bracelet back on."

"That shows he's still got some sense."

"Ken's scaring me, Joe. I don't like seeing him so erratic. It makes me wonder…"

The Swan didn't voice what she was thinking, but the Condor could tell. If she couldn't understand or predict what the Eagle's reactions would be, then she didn't necessarily trust his judgment as a leader.

"He'll work through this, whatever it is." Joe promised. "Ken is our friend. Whatever he needs from us, we'll help him through it." The relief flooding Jun's face told him that he'd said the right thing. Clearly the Swan depended on the Eagle in more ways than one.

The double doors to the room opened, revealing Dr. Nambu and Red Impulse. The Swallow lifted his eyes to take in the newcomers, and the Condor heard him mutter to the Owl.

"What do you want to bet it's another lecture?"

"Listen up everyone." Dr. Nambu said, ignoring Jinpei's comment. "I have decided to send you all for training with the Red Impulse Squadron."

That got Ken's attention. He turned away from the window and gasped.

"You heard the man." lectured Red Impulse. "I'm going to be putting you all through some intensive training and get you back into shape."

Joe bristled at this comment. Did this Rat Bastard mean to imply that they were 'out of shape'? The Condor was willing to concede that they might be able to learn some new techniques, but this was a slap across the face.

"What are you talking about?" Ryu demanded, coming to his feet. "We never needed training before, so why now?"

"Prepare for immediate departure." ordered Dr. Nambu, ignoring the Owl's question as he turned and left the room with Red Impulse.

"You've got to be shitting me!" Joe burst out, his anger boiling over as his hand clenched into a fist. "We don't need any stinking training!"

"Cool your jets, Joe." Ken approached the Condor. "This will give us a chance to check out Red Impulse and see what makes them tick." Joe gaped in astonishment as Ken rushed out of the room. What the hell had gotten into him? The Eagle's anger had completely dissipated, and he almost seemed… eager.

"What's up with Ken?" Ryu asked. "He almost looks happy about going! What the cheese is going on?"

Joe looked around at his teammates. With Ken off in some weird place, it was up to him to lead them.

"We're going with Red Impulse." he announced grimly. "I don't like it, and I expect none of you do either." Jun, Jinpei and Ryu nodded in agreement.

"But we're going to do this, so that Ken can get through… whatever the hell he's going through." the Condor ordered. "He needs to do this, and we're his Team. We're going to support him."

"I'm with you, Joe." Jun said softly, placing her hand on his arm in support.

"Me too!" Jinpei chimed in.

"You know I'm all for getting Ken back to normal." Ryu said. "These mood swings of his are really starting to freak me out!"

"Just remember, no matter what those Rat Bastards ask us to do, we're going to do it." Joe reminded them. "We're going to show them what the Science Ninja Team is truly made of!"

88888

The Condor slouched in his seat, dozing lightly all the way to their destination. He was only mildly surprised to discover that they were being taken to the Red Impulse Squadron's secret base. He let Ryu worry about flying the God Phoenix behind the red jet in front of them, and caught up on as much sleep as he could. Rat Bastard was vindictive, and Joe didn't doubt that he wasn't going to get much rest during this entire 'training session'.

His supposition was right. As soon as they had landed, the members of the Science Ninja Team were met by three men in red uniforms.

"You four," Red Impulse ordered haughtily, pointing at Joe, Jun, Jinpei and Ryu, "will go with Captains Masaki and Oniishi. They will be in charge of your training." Joe was surprised. So the Rat Bastard wasn't going to train them himself? That meant that…

"Ken, you'll be with me." The vicious smile on Red Impulse's face had the Condor thinking that the Eagle had drawn the short straw in this arrangement.

Yet amazingly, Ken appeared to be excited by the prospect of spending time alone with Red Impulse.

"Yes, Sir!" he said, his posture so crisp that he was on the verge of snapping his heels together and offering a salute. It nearly made Joe sick. He just hoped that Ken got… whatever this was… out of his system soon.

"This way." Red Impulse ordered, and off Ken went behind the bastard, almost like a little puppy dog. What the hell had gotten into him?

"Now listen up, you wimps!" Masaki barked. "We're going to see what you're made of! Give me two laps around the island, now!"

Joe's first instinct was to belt the man for his insolent tone, but he recalled what he had said to the others back at Crescent Coral Base. They were all looking at him. He was their leader now, and they would follow him, whether it was the right path or the wrong path.

He had to get through this. Ken deserved the opportunity to work through whatever it was that was going on with him, even if it meant that the rest of them were suffering. That was what being part of a Team was all about.

Without a word, the Condor turned and began sprinting away, and less than a second later he heard Jun behind him. Jinpei and Ryu quickly followed.

How bad could this be?

88888

Sixteen hours later, Joe had a feeling that he was only just starting to understand how bad it was. The minimal rest he had gotten on the God Phoenix while traveling to this dismal place had barely been sufficient for the Condor to drag himself through the grueling paces that Masaki and Oniishi had devised for the members of the Science Ninja Team.

After their two laps around the island, Masaki had had them all doing pushups, and then working through a series of gymnastic exercises, followed by yet more running, and then some sparring practice. Whenever they had 'slacked off', Oniishi had been there to prod them back into action. Ryu had been bawled out more than once for falling behind, but Joe had not intervened. They were the Science Ninja Team, and it was expected that they be capable of anything that was demanded of them.

But damn, he hated these Rat Bastard flunkies.

The Condor had stumbled to the bed that had been assigned to him. They were all sleeping in a large room housing little more than five cots and five blankets. Joe didn't speak, and neither did anyone else. He simply dropped onto his cot, gave a half-hearted tug to pull the blanket over him, and fell asleep.

They were woken up by a loud clanging sound, which turned out to be Masaki banging a metal pot right next to Joe's ear. Instinctively, the Condor leapt out of bed and attacked, his hands closing around the man's throat. It took him two seconds to realize that this wasn't how he was supposed to react.

Grunting an apology, Joe removed his hands from around Masaki's neck and stepped into line with Jun, Jinpei and Ryu. Curiously, the bed assigned to Ken appeared not to have been slept in.

"You'll pay for that little insubordination." Masaki grinned cockily. "Although I'm pleased to see that your reflexes are in good condition, G2. You can put them to good use in a few rounds of boxing."

And so began the pattern of their days. Each morning Masaki woke them in the most obnoxious manner possible, and then put them through their paces like a drill sergeant from Hell. They ran around the island more times than Joe could count, did pushups, went through gymnastic exercises, practiced boxing and wrestling, and anything else that came to the twisted minds of their two captors.

As punishment for momentarily attacking Masaki, a few days later Joe was assigned the duty of washing the man's red jet while the others ate lunch. Once he was finished, he rejoined the rest of the Team, tired and hungry. Unfortunately for the Condor, the meal had already concluded.

"And now that you've all eaten, we have a special treat for you." Masaki smirked. "You're going to get to sit down and relax for awhile."

The expression of intense relief on Ryu's face was almost comical. But Joe knew that something was up. He was proven right when they entered a massive chamber housing a pair of centrifuges. For a brief moment, he had a recollection of the last time he had been in a centrifuge. Dr. Nambu had been attempting to extract shrapnel from his brain, to save the Condor's life.

It suddenly occurred to Joe that Dr. Nambu cared about him a great deal more than the man usually let on. Perhaps when the Doctor had been reluctant to let them go to their deaths, it had been more than a strategic decision.

But that sudden insight was of no help to him now.

"We'll see how you wimps withstand G-forces." Masaki laughed. Oniishi's silent smirk merely added to the unease that the Condor felt.

The compartments each held two occupants. Since Ryu was larger than average and Jinpei smaller than average, they were assigned to the same unit. That left Joe and Jun together.

"Hope you didn't eat much at lunch." Joe grunted as they got into the tiny chamber.

"I had a feeling something was up when they were pushing real food at us." Jun replied. "I had some plain bread and ginger ale, so I should be okay."

"I hope so, for both of our sakes."

"Should we transform? Our uniforms act as G-suits."

"Good idea."

Joe was glad for Jun's common sense at that moment. In his exhaustion, he had forgotten this important fact. As soon as they were strapped in, the Condor and the Swan performed a joint transformation.

The transformation, usually only slightly uncomfortable, today felt almost pleasant. The prickly tingling over his skin as the garments on his body changed their material form was sheer pleasure after the aching torture he had been through for the past forty-eight hours. And from an emotional standpoint, using their uniforms as a way to better endure whatever Masaki and Oniishi had in mind felt as good as flipping them the bird: another brand of 'Condor Special'.

The capsule began to move, and within a few seconds the indicator on the monitor revealed that they were rushing around the testing chamber at a speed fast enough to simulate three Gs of acceleration. Joe concentrated on his breathing: slow releases and intakes of air. In and out. In and out.

And that was just the beginning.

At five Gs, Jun began to moan uncomfortably. Joe didn't feel very well himself, and the unpleasant sound didn't help matters any.

"Keep your eyes open." he told her through gritted teeth. "Focus straight ahead."

"I… can't…"

"That's an order, G3!"

He hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but his vicious tone had the desired effect. Jun's eyes snapped open and she stared directly at the wall in front of her. The effort of speaking at this acceleration was too much, and the Condor was unable to state his approval. Blindly, he groped to his right for her hand, squeezing it gently. Her return grip was weak, and disappeared altogether when they moved up to six Gs.

Even staring straight ahead was not helping Jun now. Desperately, Joe tried to recall everything he had learned during his brief course on emergency medicine. Something emerged from the depths of his brain, and blindly Joe did his best to recall it.

The Condor moved his fingers down from the Swan's left hand to her arm. Probing for a moment, he found the two hard tendons in the center of the inside of her wrist, then applied a strong pressure in between the tendons about one finger's width up from the base of the Swan's wrist. He continued to work on her pressure point for a count of ten seconds, releasing and repeating while taking slow, deep breaths.

Focusing on this nearly-forgotten technique helped take his mind off of the physical distress his own body was feeling. Staring straight ahead, he let his mind be filled with the slow rhythm of his breathing, and the measured count of pressure and release on Jun's wrist.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was likely only a minute or two, the capsule came to a stop. It took Joe a few moments to realize that they had ceased moving, a fact that was confirmed by Jun's soft moan.

"Thanks…"

It was then that Joe realized that he was still pushing on Jun's pressure point. He dropped her arm into her lap, pulling his hand back.

A short while later, the capsule door was opened, and Masaki stood there, smiling at them. Strangely, his expression was not harsh or mocking, as it had been for the past two days, but rather one of indulgent pride.

"You two did pretty well." he admitted. "Neither of you passed out, and you kept your capsule clean."

"Clean?" Jun's face wore a look of confusion for a moment, until she understood the implication of Masaki's words.

"G4 and G5 will be cleaning out their capsule for the rest of the day." the red-uniformed man told them. "You two can rest for an hour, and then practice your katas in the training room until dinner."

Practicing katas sounded like a dream. While stressful for the average person, the members of the Science Ninja Team had performed them so often that they had become a form of relaxation and stress release.

Masaki was rewarding them.

As grateful as he was, Joe refused to acknowledge the pleasure he felt. He simply nodded and unbuckled himself, assisting Jun and pulling her out of the capsule with him. Together, they made their way back to their 'quarters' for their promised hour of rest.

88888

After dinner, Masaki and Oniishi gave them an assessment of their performance over the past few days.

"For the most part," Masaki said, "we have been impressed with the discipline and endurance you Science Ninjas display. Of course, there are some exceptions…"

Oniishi smirked at Ryu, who turned as red as Masaki's uniform. Joe felt a rush of sympathy for the Owl. He had been the last of them to begin training for the Science Ninja Team, and wasn't in the same physical shape the rest of them were. Additionally, he had been left behind in the God Phoenix on so many missions that he didn't have as much field experience as he could have done.

"We work well together as a _Team_." Joe pointed out. "We merge our individual strengths to form a cohesive fighting unit."

"True enough, G2." Masaki nodded. "In fact, I was impressed by how well you and G3 worked together in the centrifuge unit. I have also noted that the others seem to follow your lead, in the absence of G1."

"Joe is an excellent leader." the Swan supported the Condor.

"Perhaps." Masaki agreed. "But you are not always together. There are times on missions where you must work separately to achieve your goals. Every single one of you needs to achieve a minimum level of skills."

Joe didn't disagree, but it angered him to see these Rat Bastards humiliating Ryu in this manner.

"At the moment, I am leading the Science Ninja Team." the Condor said coldly. "I am responsible for everyone being up to task. And I promise you that we _all_ meet your standards."

"We shall see." Masaki smirked.

88888

The following morning they were unceremoniously hauled out of bed by Oniishi and forced to strip down to their underwear. The man's silence as he grimly directed them with hand signals was somewhat eerie, and Joe wondered if it was all an act, or if the man truly couldn't talk. None of the ninjas had ever asked, and the information had not been volunteered.

The four of them were marched outside, shivering in the cold morning air. At first, Joe thought that they had been denied their clothes to prevent them from transforming, as he and Jun had done the day before. But the further they hiked, the more he began to wonder if this was truly the case.

Oniishi led them up the side of the mountain that dominated most of the island. Despite the southern location of the Red Impulse Squadron's secret base, the temperature was cool; uncomfortably so. Joe felt his skin prickling in the cold, and found himself working hard to resist the urge to rub his hands along his arms to warm his skin.

After perhaps three quarters of an hour, the man in red finally turned off of the main trail, gesturing the ninjas ahead of him. They could hear a deep rumbling sound, and as they moved closer, the wet spray in the air confirmed that they were approaching a waterfall.

The watery mist was bone-chilling, and the Condor was unable to prevent himself from shivering, yet still he continued along the narrow path. He only stopped when they were so close to the waterfall that to continue any further along the path was to enter into the frigid rush of liquid ice.

"No breaks!" came Masaki's voice from behind them. When the hell had he gotten here?

"Keep going!" Masaki insisted.

Joe swore softly under his breath. Those Rat Bastards! But then, this wasn't anything he couldn't deal with. It would be uncomfortable, certainly, but no more so than the centrifuge the day before. Gritting his teeth, he plunged into the icy waterfall.

He had never imagined that he could be so cold, or so soaked to the skin. It was like going ice-fishing, except he was the fish. The Condor hurried along the path as much as he could, but when he reached the other side of the waterfall, he found a gleeful Oniishi blocking his path.

They would have to remain inside the freezing rain.

Joe turned back, coming face to face with Jun, who raised her head to look at him, her large green eyes pleading with him for assistance. His physical discomfort was nothing compared to the emotional agony he felt at having to shake his head and indicate that the nearby red-uniformed man was blocking their exit.

The Swan sighed, but nodded as she accepted their fate. She passed on the message to Jinpei, who related it to Ryu. They all stood there, staring at their feet, attempting to shut themselves off from the harsh environment their bodies were being forced to endure.

It wasn't until that moment that it occurred to Joe that neither he nor Jun was wearing much in the way of garments. His eyes opened wide, taking in the sight of her lithe curves through the curtain of water cascading over her body, before common sense kicked in and he tore his gaze away. Yet still the image remained, locked behind his closed eyelids.

After that, the Condor no longer noticed the cold.

Joe's eyes jerked open when he felt a light lashing on his arm. Turning his head, he saw that Oniishi had his whip in his hand, and was using it to indicate that Joe should exit the waterfall and follow him. The Condor turned, tugging gently on the Swan's hand and urging her to follow him, knowing that she would do the same for Jinpei and Ryu.

Stepping out into the open again was only slightly warmer than standing within the waterfall. Liquid icicles streamed down his face, and the chill of the sharp, cutting wind that moved across his skin kept the Condor's body temperature low and his physical discomfort at the forefront of his consciousness. He numbed his mind to the miserable sensations he was experiencing.

A short way further down the path, Oniishi led him into the mountain itself: inside what looked like a cave opening. Anticipating even colder temperatures inside, Joe was pleasantly surprised to feel a warm humidity rising up from the interior of the mountain. Before long, clouds of steam fogged up the passageway, and the Condor realized that there must be some kind of underground geothermal spring that emerged here.

He was right. Oniishi led the four ninjas into a large chamber. In the center of the chamber was a deep crevasse, approximately four meters across, filled with water so hot it was practically boiling. Joe's body temperature had completely returned to normal, and he now found himself beginning to sweat. Whether it was from the intense heat or nervousness at what Masaki and Oniishi had in mind, he didn't want to contemplate.

Oniishi indicated that the four ninjas should stand in a line and they did, still in their wet undergarments, but no longer shivering.

"You have passed the endurance test." Masaki announced, stepping forward out of the shadows. "You may get dressed again in your clothes."

"But, where are they?" Jinpei looked around, confused.

"Over there." Masaki smirked, gesturing to the far end of the chamber.

Their clothes were on the opposite side of the steaming crevasse.

"But, how…?" Ryu whispered.

"You have two minutes to retrieve your clothes." Masaki informed them, before he stepped back into the shadows. Joe had no doubt that the Rat Bastards were observing them, but he didn't care. He just wanted his dignity back. He eyed the four neat piles of civilian uniforms hungrily.

Immediately, Ryu ran over to the edge of the crevasse, clearly intent on swimming across. But the moment his toe touched the water, he yanked it back out.

"Damn nearly burned my skin off!" he swore.

"Over here." the Condor called to the Owl. He indicated that everyone should step close to him, and once they did, he told the others what he wanted them to do. Jun nodded, her eyes brightening as he quickly detailed his plan.

"I can do it." she smiled grimly.

"We're counting on you, Jun." Joe told her, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Quickly, he moved over to the edge of the water, with Ryu next to him and Jun in front of them both. The Condor and the Owl squatted, lifting up the Swan by the soles of her feet, and she bent her knees, flexing lightly. Jinpei stood behind Joe and Ryu, a hand placed on each of their backs for support. Joe whispered a countdown.

"Three… two… one…"

The Condor and the Owl thrust the Swan's feet up and forward, while Jun leapt off of their hands, using their added momentum to arc across the steaming water and flip her body around. She landed feet first on the other side of the crevasse, arms raised. She turned and grinned widely at the others, her excitement visible even through four meters of cloudy humidity.

"Now, Jun!" Joe ordered.

Quickly, Jun ran to the piles of clothes, rifling through them. Her smile broadened when she found what she sought.

"They're here!" she announced. Her fingers flew rapidly, adjusting things to her satisfaction, and then she stood, her arm outstretched in a graceful throwing motion.

"Catch!" she called.

The Condor leapt into the air, grabbing ahold of the yellow and red Yo-Yo that flew toward him, carrying its payload to his position. Quickly, he untied the two cableguns and tossed Ryu's weapon toward the Owl, handing the end of the Yo-Yo to the Swallow. Within seconds, the three ninjas were across the crevasse, laughing with an exuberant Swan.

"We make a good Team." Ryu grinned.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"They have been making excellent progress, Captain." Masaki reported. "In the absence of G1, G2 is an effective leader, and while he has a temper, he is able to reign it in. Their teamwork in the steam grotto was impressive, even after enduring extreme cold in the waterfall for over an hour. I don't think there's anything more…"

"Do it again!" Red Impulse snapped. "Send them through the centrifuge a few more times. Work on their boxing and wrestling. Have them run around the island another hundred laps. I don't care! Just keep working with them!" Masaki's face, at first surprised by his superior's reaction, gradually took on a sympathetic expression as the Colonel ranted.

"Understood." he responded quietly. "Over and out, Captain."

Red Impulse fumed. It was bad enough that his son was proving to be a complete and utter incompetent, but to have his men _pity_ him for it… It was not to be borne!

For six days now, he had been working with Ken. The boy was eager enough, but not nearly as good as he had to be, to be of any real use to his father. For all of his reputation as the 'White Shadow', his son had no concept of subterfuge, and when the Colonel had put him through various assassination simulations Ken had been completely unable to take out his target without alerting everyone else as to his presence. Red Impulse didn't need the leader of the Science Ninja Team. He needed a right hand who could be counted upon to perform stealthy maneuvers to undermine the Berg Katse's organization from within.

The Colonel supposed he shouldn't be surprised. He had read Dr. Nambu's report of a recent mission where Ken had impersonated a Galactor Commander at Jing Jing prison. The boy had nearly blown his cover multiple times, and eventually his own subordinate had given him away. He was an accomplished enough fighter (although Red Impulse himself had no problem kicking Gatchaman's ass) but lacked any skills that could be useful to the Colonel in his quest to replace Berg Katse as Sosai's General.

After determining these facts, Red Impulse had focused on the one skill the Eagle supposedly had that complimented his father: flying. He had attempted to teach the boy a simple dive and pull up technique, but Ken had so far been unable to master it. He found it hard to believe that there was any hope at all.

He truly had no allies, then. He couldn't even count on his own son to help him achieve his goals. And without assistance, he would never be able to topple Berg Katse from his undeserved throne.

It appeared that it would just be best to let Ken go back to being Gatchaman. He and his Science Ninja Team could pester Berg Katse, and with luck, eventually Sosai would tire of that bumbling mutant, and the Colonel might be able to regain the alien entity's favor.

Red Impulse sighed heavily. Perhaps he should just let the Science Ninja Team return to Dr. Nambu. But if they truly hadn't improved their skills, then the Doctor would grow suspicious. He should at least give it one more day.

Perhaps this would be the turning point for his son.

As usual, he yanked Ken up from the ground where he was sleeping. He had not let the boy sleep in the dormitory with the other members of his Team, as in the Colonel's opinion, his son had done nothing to deserve such a luxury.

"Time to get out into the air!" Red Impulse shouted, smirking to himself as Ken winced and rubbed his ears. But a second later, his son was on his feet and eager to please. The Colonel was disgusted. There was nothing of _him_ in Ken's features. The boy was almost an exact replica of Sayuri, down to his slight build and lack of physical stature. His son was a few inches under six feet, and this, in Red Impulse's mind, made the 'mighty' Gatchaman significantly less threatening.

No wonder, then, that the boy hadn't inherited any of his skills either. It was as if Ken Washio wasn't truly his son at all.

He shook his head in disgust. This was the last day he could deal with his son's incompetence. If he hadn't learned anything after today, it would be a wasted week. Red Impulse would just have to tell Dr. Nambu that the boy's stubbornness was to blame. After his behavior of late, the Doctor would be inclined to believe such a statement.

Red Impulse ordered Ken to the G-1, and together they took off into the sky. As he had for the past three days, the Colonel dove down at a nearly ninety degree angle, just enough not to stall his plane, and aimed for a tall stone structure. When he was about to crash into the rock, Red Impulse pulled back on his stick and shot nearly straight up into the air, the G-forces pulsing through his head in an exhilarating rush. _This_ was the true excitement of flying! Why could Ken not see it?

The G-1 was rushing across the water that surrounded the island, and Red Impulse flew in front of it, his red jet cutting off the white one easily. Had the boy even been paying attention?

"Let's go." the Colonel snapped at his son. Ken immediately followed his father, doing his best to keep up as the red jet maneuvered effortlessly before him.

Red Impulse dove again at the stone peak, pulling up at the last second and skirting the edge of the rock. The G-1 followed, but it wavered, nearly crashing as it made its turn.

"Let's do it again!" ordered Red Impulse, frowning at his son's lack of flight skills.

"Hey! How many time are you going to make me do the same thing?" Ken whined.

"Stop complaining! Follow me!" the Colonel ordered as he dove again.

This time, the G-1's performance was even worse. It became clear that the jet was spinning out of control.

"Ken!" Red Impulse barked, but there was no response. The Colonel began to panic. It was no skin off of his nose if his useless son died, but if the boy did so on Red Impulse's watch… there would be inquiries and charges. That was something the Colonel definitely did not want to deal with. He didn't need anyone prying into his personal affairs.

Meanwhile, Gatchaman still hadn't responded.

"Ken, pull up! Pull yourself up!" Red Impulse shouted.

The G-1 maneuvered to pull itself out of the way of the oncoming peak, but it wasn't enough. The wing of the jet crashed into the mountainside. The landing gear ripped off, and the white plane plummeted down to the jungle below it.

"Ken!"

88888

Ken's body lay motionless in the hospital bed. Now that Red Impulse knew that his son was going to survive, his concern for his own affairs had turned into anger that the boy was so useless.

"Is that all you've got?" he sneered at his unconscious son. "Science Ninja Team… you're a joke, Kid."

He rolled his eyes, frustrated at the waste of time this incident was turning into. He had to play the devoted father for his men, and sit at Ken's bedside, even if he would rather be doing almost anything else. Hopefully the useless brat would wake up soon, and then he could get out of there. He turned toward the wall, his mind far away from the unconscious boy next to him.

"Shut up! I'm not going to lose!"

The Colonel turned, startled by the shout. It seemed his son had a little grit. It was something, at least.

"Good, you're awake." Red Impulse smirked. He was already planning on getting back to his jet.

"What happened?" Ken asked anxiously. "Where am I?"

"You blacked out, Kid." the Colonel smirked.

"What? I blacked out?" The boy appeared to be embarrassed by his weakness.

"When you ascend or descend too quickly, your body doesn't have time to adjust, so its defense is to black out." Red Impulse lectured in a superior tone. Ken's shocked expression told him that he was going too far. The Colonel didn't want Nambu on his case.

"I'm sorry, I guess I pushed you too hard, Kid." he said, practically choking on his words.

"And the G-1?"

"There was no major damage. I'm sure it's all been repaired by now."

"Then let's do it again!" Ken declared, standing up. For a moment, the Colonel almost admired the boy's determination.

"I won't lose to you, old…"

Almost.

His brief admiration vanished as the boy stumbled and nearly blacked out again. Instinctively, the Colonel reached out to steady his son.

"Are you okay?" he asked condescendingly.

"I'm fine! Just lay off of me!" Ken shouted, throwing his father's hands away from his body.

"Don't strain yourself, Kid." the Colonel chuckled. "Just rest for awhile. Don't be so stubborn!"

"I may be stubborn," Ken said defiantly, "but for all I know, I got it from my old man."

If only he knew.

88888

Joe watched the setting sun as he leaned against a palm tree, his body relaxing for the first time in a week. He wasn't entirely certain what had happened, but in the middle of yet another interminable run around the island, Masaki had suddenly told them that they were done for the day, and then had simply left them alone on the beach. For a moment, none of them had been able to believe it, but after a minute they had all collapsed into the soft, warm sand. They had spent the last hour simply lying there, or in Jinpei's case, paddling in the water, and letting their bodies unwind from the stress and pressure they had been subjected to over the past seven days. Now, as the sun was setting, the Condor stood up, stretching his legs and watching the play of colors in the late afternoon sky.

It wasn't until Ken arrived that they realized that anything was wrong.

"Ken!" Jun called, as she saw the Eagle walking toward them. "Over here!" The Swan sat up and waved. Ryu got to his feet, and Jinpei scrambled out of the water and up onto the beach.

For his part, Ken appeared startled to see them there, but he stopped and slowly turned in their direction, moving across the sand until he reached their position.

"Good to see you, Ken." Joe remarked as the Eagle approached. But Ken only nodded quietly, staring out at the ocean. There was something about his face…

"Is everything okay, Ken?" Jun asked quietly.

"Yeah." Ken nodded brusquely. "I'm eager to get back to fighting Galactor…"

"Only, we still have no idea how to get past Archaeo." Joe grumbled to himself. "Nothing we've done on here has helped us in any way with that little problem." But no one else appeared to hear what the Condor had said.

"How long are we going to be trapped on this ugly old island?" Jinpei complained, picking up a rock and skipping it across the water. "Damn it!"

"Yeah, I'm itching for a fight with those Galactor bastards!" Ryu grumbled. He too picked up a rock and threw it, but instead of skipping across the water, it plummeted straight into the ocean with a splash.

"There's got to be a way to fight that thing." Joe insisted. "If only we could break through the shockwave!" This time, Ken appeared to have heard him. But rather than answering, the Eagle picked up two rocks and threw them at the water. The first, like Jinpei's, skipped across the waves. The second, like Ryu's, sank to the ocean floor.

"That's it!" Ken cried with a flash of inspiration. "I get it now! So there _is_ a way that we can get inside of that shockwave!" Everyone gaped at the Eagle, clearly not following his train of thought. But a spark lit inside of Joe. Whenever Ken's inspiration hit, he was always onto something.

"And that's why he made me keep repeating that same flying stunt!" Ken exclaimed with a smile. "Old Iron Britches knew exactly how to break through the shockwave all along!"

While Joe trusted Ken's instincts, he was doubtful on this point. If Rat Bastard knew how to break through the shockwave, surely he would have done it himself, by now.

88888

"What? We've got another challenge from Galactor?"

This was not what Red Impulse had been expecting when he had received an unexpected communication from Dr. Nambu. He had assumed that the Doctor was simply inquiring about his pampered ninjas. But there was one good thing about this turn of events. At last he could get rid of that tiresome Science Ninja Team.

"That's right, and this time they're planning to attack the UN Headquarters." Nambu revealed.

"Attacking the UN? That's a bold move." the Colonel snorted. How like Berg Katse to grab for the brass ring, emboldened by a single success.

"Commander, we accept their challenge."

Red Impulse turned to look behind him, surprised to see the entire Science Ninja Team standing in the doorway.

"If we hit the right entry angle, then we should be able to break through the shockwave." Ken said.

"What?" The Colonel's eyebrows shot up. It was an interesting _theory_. He supposed that if it didn't work the Red Impulse Squadron could always come in and clean up the mess. Whatever happened, Berg Katse could not be allowed to take out UN Headquarters. That would put him too much in Sosai's favor.

"You taught me well, Commander." Ken smiled. "Let me 'rock 'n roll'."

Arrogant punk. But if he went and got himself killed, it would serve him right.

"Good." Red Impulse replied condescendingly. "Go ahead, give it a shot!"

"Commander?" Nambu was clearly confused. It wasn't a title Red Impulse normally used. He wasn't even certain where Ken had come up with the term, although it did have a nice ring to it…

"Doctor, Gatchaman is ready to accept the challenge." the Colonel assured Nambu. "I guarantee it. Don't worry, the Red Impulse Squadron will be there to back them up."

"All right then." Nambu relented. "I'll pray for your success. Please be careful out there!"

As the Science Ninja Team shouted their response, Red Impulse rolled his eyes. He didn't know how much more of these annoying teenagers he could take.

Fortunately they were about to get out of his life, one way or the other.

88888

As they approached Archaeo's position, Red Impulse contacted the God Phoenix.

"Gatchaman, my Squad will take care of the fighter jets." the Colonel announced. This way, he could avoid the shockwave Archaeo would surely target at the God Phoenix. If necessary, when the Galactor mecha ran out of power and was unable to project it any further, the Red Impulse Squadron could swoop in and save the day.

The three red jets pulled back and watched as Archaeo began its shockwave attack. The God Phoenix climbed high, moving around the cumbersome mecha and approaching it from behind. The red and blue warship began diving at the shockwave at a strict forty-five degree angle.

They were going to try and punch right through the shockwave… and it just might work.

Red Impulse wouldn't ever want to risk his own life on a gamble like this, but found his eyes were glued to the sight in front of him. The God Phoenix dove closer and closer, moving in behind the unsuspecting Archaeo…

And then they were through. The warship had cut cleanly through the shockwaves, and was now pulling up fast, echoing the maneuver that Red Impulse had practiced with his son. The God Phoenix landed on the flat hull of the Galactor mecha. It didn't stop, but continued racing along Archaeo's exterior, and Red Impulse saw his son standing on the top of the red and blue warship, throwing something out onto Archaeo's flight deck before his aircraft took off again.

The mecha exploded behind them, propelling the God Phoenix out into the sky, where it triumphantly circled the flaming wreckage of Berg Katse's latest folly.

And that was what was important now. The purple mutant's plans had been foiled, and Sosai was certain to be displeased. Berg Katse was walking a fine line with the alien entity, and Red Impulse intended to keep it that way.

He bade farewell to his son, congratulating him on a job well done, before returning to his base in the South Seas.

It was time to return to his own plans.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

_**Two Months Later **_

"Your presence here is most unexpected."

"I don't like to announce my visits in advance." the Colonel smirked. He moved smoothly across the room, his linen suit fresh and unwrinkled despite the oppressive heat and humidity for which Hontwal was famous.

"Yet all the same, I am most pleased to see you, Agent White." the Defense Minister smiled thinly, gesturing to a chair directly across from his desk.

"Of course you are, Minister." Red Impulse smirked as he sat down. "I have come for a progress report, to ensure that you are continuing to cooperate with Galactor and provide them with the necessary materials…"

"How interesting that you should bring up that matter, Agent White."

Red Impulse froze. He had been using the alias of Agent White for more than ten years, and never had the Defense Minister's tone been anything other than ingratiating. But now the man seemed hostile… vicious.

"How is that, Minister?" the Colonel asked casually, leaning back in his chair in a show of unconcern.

"Not long ago, I received a communication from Berg Katse." the Defense Minister replied as he reached for a cigar. He did not offer one to his 'guest'. "He requested an increase in our materials shipments, in preparation for the political overthrow of Hontwal."

"And how is this unusual?" Red Impulse asked calmly. "This is the goal toward which you and I have been working for the past decade."

"It wasn't." the Minister shrugged as he lit his cigar. He sat back, puffing a few times before he continued. "What was unusual was that he had never heard of _you_."

"Berg Katse could hardly be expected to know the name of everyone within the Galactor Organization." Red Impulse replied smoothly. "You and I have been dealing together for years. You know who I am."

"I might have thought so," the Defense Minister grinned widely, "except that not an hour later, Berg Katse contacted me again, informing me that you were no longer a representative of Galactor…"

Red Impulse raised an eyebrow, as if to mock this statement, while the Defense Minister paused.

"And he said that you were to be killed on sight."

The Minister had pulled a pistol from behind his desk, and was now pointing it at the man he knew as 'Agent White'.

"So… anything you care to confess, in order to save your miserable hide?" he gloated.

"No."

Before anyone could blink, Red Impulse had launched himself out of his chair, grabbing the neck of the thug who had thought he was approaching silently from behind and giving it a sharp twist. The man fell in an inelegant heap at the Colonel's feet, even as he delivered a quick chop to the Defense Minister's arm, causing the Hontwal administrator to drop his gun.

An alarm sounded, and the Colonel knew that he did not have much time. Three platoons of crack troops, soldiers he had helped train, were about to descend upon him. So he did the only thing he could do.

Red Impulse ran.

88888

How could he have been so stupid?

Of course, he had known that continuing in his role as Agent White was dangerous, and that he would eventually be discovered. But somehow, deep down, he had desperately hoped that it would be Sosai who learned of his continued work for Galactor, and that the alien entity would be impressed by the level of devotion that he had demonstrated, even during his 'exile'.

But no. Instead, Berg Katse had found him out, and had ordered him killed. The only good news in all of this was that the purple mutant probably didn't even realize who 'Agent White' truly was. Katse was too imbecilic to even associate 'Agent White' with the 'Agent Black' whom he had met nearly a year before.

Yet this change in his status necessitated a new approach to Hontwal. While Red Impulse himself had no special attachment to the place, or its people, he had been working there on Sosai's behalf for so long that he had instinctively wanted to finish the job.

This abrupt end to the Colonel's association with the Hontwal Defense Minister and his political ambitions now gave rise to a new dilemma. The Defense Minister was a bulldog of a man, and Red Impulse knew he would not back down. Having decided that 'Agent White' was a threat, he would be dogging the Colonel's every step, and there was even the risk that the man might discover his true identity.

Such a thing could not be allowed to happen.

Still, it wouldn't be acceptable for him to simply kill the man. Doing such a thing could jeopardize Red Impulse's position with the UN and the ISO. But what if these organizations sanctioned such a move…?

Red Impulse opened a communications channel to Dr. Nambu.

88888

The Condor strode quickly down the hallways of the Crescent Coral Base, moving swiftly toward the meeting room that was his destination. Dr. Nambu had sent out an urgent call for the entire Team to assemble.

He arrived at the same time as Ryu. They sat down in the only two spots remaining, sitting quietly and staring at the floor as they waited for the Doctor to appear. It wasn't long before Nambu made his way into the room.

"Fast!" complimented the Doctor. "Just what I'd expect from you guys. It only took you eighteen minutes to get here." Joe was confused by Nambu's tone. The call had been urgent, but the Doctor's tone was decidedly relaxed.

"It's Galactor, isn't it?" Ken stood up. "Give us our orders! We're ready!"

"Yeah, come on!" Jinpei complained. "I had to stop in the middle of a comic book for this!" Joe rolled his eyes. The Swallow needed to get his priorities straight if he was truly angered by something of this nature.

"Very well, Science Ninja Team." Nambu said, ignoring Jinpei's comment. "I order you to go to the Republic of Hontwal."

"And our objective, Hakase?" Ken asked eagerly.

"For a vacation." Nambu smirked.

There were shocked gasps from around the room. The Condor's mouth fell open. Had he heard the Doctor right? The man who never wanted to let them get too far away from Utoland was sending the entire Team halfway across the world for a vacation?

Something wasn't right.

"I think everyone deserves a vacation, so go have a good time." Nambu said warmly. "And that's an order!"

"Yeah!" Jinpei cried joyfully. "I've been waiting to take a trip! Thanks Hakase!"

"I could use a nice long soak in a hot spring," Ryu said dreamily, "to cure my athlete's foot."

Joe shook his head. Did they _truly_ think this was _just_ a vacation? This wasn't like Dr. Nambu at all. The Condor glanced over at the Eagle. Ken's brow was furrowed, as if he too was uncertain about the Doctor's motives.

"Remember not to let anyone know that you're part of the Science Ninja Team." Nambu admonished them, before they all departed for Hontwal.

Once aboard the God Phoenix, the Condor voiced his concerns aloud.

"What do you think is _really_ going on here?" he asked everyone.

"What do you mean, Joe?" Jinpei laughed. "We get a vacation! After a year of fighting against Galactor! Don't you think we deserve it?"

"Trust Joe to look a gift horse in the mouth!" Ryu snickered.

"I think he has a point." Ken put in. "This isn't like Hakase at all. He's never been too happy with us not living on the Crescent Coral Base. Why should he suddenly want us to go all the way to Hontwal?"

"Do you think there's something wrong with Hakase?" Jun questioned.

"No…" Ken shook his head. "I just think he has some kind of ulterior motive that he's not mentioning to us."

"It wouldn't be the first time." snorted Joe.

"Still, we trust Hakase." the Eagle reminded the Condor with a stern glare. "I think we should do as he says and enjoy ourselves. But we need to ensure that no one knows that the Science Ninja Team is in Hontwal, and we need to stick together."

"Aw, man!" Ryu whined. "I was hoping to find some girls…"

"Not _that_ close together." Joe rolled his eyes. "That's definitely something you can do on your own, Big Guy."

88888

The God Phoenix landed on the outskirts of Hontwal at a secret ISO installation less than an hour later. After transmuting into their civvies, the members of the Science Ninja Team mixed in with a bunch of researchers on leave and hopped a bus into Kinza City, the capital of Hontwal. The festive, holiday air of the workers infected the team, and gradually they too relaxed and smiled, even laughing as they planned what they wanted to do with their time off.

The following two days were almost unreal, in that they were far distant from what their usual day to day lives were like. The five ninjas swam at the beach, hiked through the surrounding mountains, and enjoyed the local watersports. Ryu chased after girls and spent time in the hot springs, Jinpei whiled away hours on the beach and in the forests searching for wild creatures, and Joe and Jun spent their time engaging in any daredevil sport they could find, preferably one that put them behind the wheel of some land-based vehicle which they could drive with reckless abandon.

Of all of them, only Ken seemed distant. He went along with the others, but seemed to be most interested in quiet contemplation. It wasn't unusual for him to sit unmoving in his chair on the beach for hours, while the others played. They were all concerned, but Joe convinced the other three to give the Eagle the space he needed. Clearly Ken had a lot to work through.

On their third day in Hontwal, Jun finally broke through the Eagle's wall of solitude.

"Come on the boat cruise with us, Ken!" she pleaded. "We're going to see the entire lake area, and it's a beautiful day. You'll have fun."

The Eagle relented, and Jun and Jinpei went off to buy tickets, with strict instructions to the other three to ensure that they met at the dock by noon sharp. The boat would leave without them if they were not on time.

"We will." Joe promised. The Condor knew that he could drag the Eagle there without too much trouble, so all he really had to do was keep an eye on Ryu…

Except that Ryu was gone.

"Damn, where did that guy go?" Joe grumbled.

"Try over there." Ken pointed to a cluster of small restaurants and food markets across the street. "Ryu thinks with his stomach. Why else would he wander off without telling us?"

Acknowledging that Ken was probably right, the two young men began a search of each of the establishments. They finally found Ryu in the last one: a small bakery. The Owl was not only enjoying the cookies and cakes sold there, but also the attentions of the shopgirl.

"So, are you busy tonight?" he asked shyly.

"I get off around six o'clock." she smiled at him.

"Maybe… we could go out to dinner?" Ryu asked.

"That would be nice." the girl giggled.

"He'll see you at six o'clock, then!" Joe called, dragging the Owl out of the shop.

"See you then, Lina!" Ryu called, as Ken and Joe hustled him away.

"You're going to make us late!" Joe growled as soon as they were outside again. "We're supposed to be meeting Jun and Jinpei right now."

"We'll make it." Ryu huffed, running as fast as he could to keep up with his two teammates as they sprinted toward the docks.

Unfortunately, they arrived just in time to see the passenger ramp being lifted up onto the boat. Jun and Jinpei stood on the deck, waving and laughing.

"Told you to be on time, Joe!" Jinpei hooted.

What made this even more annoying was that if Joe had wanted to, he could easily have leapt onto the boat, which only now was pulling away for departure. But they had to maintain their secret identities at all costs, and such a thing would surely be remarked upon.

"I'll show that kid." Joe muttered, looking around. His eyes fell on a watersports kiosk renting sea cycles.

"What do you think?" Joe asked, pointing his thumb over at the kiosk. "I'll bet you we could catch up."

"Looks like fun." Ryu admitted.

"I don't know…" Ken hesitated. "I think I just want to hang out here on the beach."

"Are you sure, Ken?" Ryu asked, concerned.

"Let him be." Joe interrupted. "We need to get busy if we're going to catch up to that boat."

"Okay." Ryu capitulated. "See you in a couple of hours, Ken."

The sea cycles turned out to be very easy to control, and despite their cumbersome appearance were actually quite fast. The renting agent at the kiosk had been surprised to see that they weren't wearing bathing suits, but had been eager enough to take their money. In short order, Joe and Ryu were chasing after the cruise boat, with Jun and Jinpei cheering them on from the rear of the ship.

They rounded a corner, passing the end of a small penninsula. They could all clearly see Ken lounging on a chair near the water, at the edge of a small outdoor café.

"Come on, Ken! This is a blast! Come on!" Ryu called out, but the Eagle did not respond.

"Ryu, just leave him alone." Joe told the Owl. "Come on!"

Ryu shrugged, following after Joe.

But despite what he had said, the Condor kept an eye on the Eagle. From the lake he had a clear view of Ken, and Joe wanted to stay relatively close, in case of trouble.

And sure enough, there was trouble. Not five minutes later, Joe saw Ken facing off with a dozen burly-looking men in ugly brown suits.

"Ryu!" he called to the Owl, and immediately headed for shore. Within a minute, they had reached the edge of the land, and they ran up to Ken's position just as he felled two of them. One man in a white suit ran from the middle of the group, jumping onto a nearby jet ski to flee the scene.

"What's up?" Ryu asked as they reached Ken.

"These guns are ready if you need some backup." Joe offered. He didn't know what was going on, but these men appeared to be angry, and the Condor knew that the Eagle would never have started a fight without good cause.

"Stupid kids!" one of the men shouted angrily. "Mind your own business!"

"What is going on here?"

Everyone turned to see a pair of officers from the Defense Ministry, who had just pulled up on a motorcycle.

"Oh, Captain!" the angry man was suddenly respectful. Joe noted the name 'Daimer' embroidered onto the Captain's uniform.

"Where is the target?" Daimer asked nastily.

"Well, Sir, he got away in a boat," the angry man reported, "because these kids interfered with our plans."

"I work under the Defense Minister of this country!" Daimer announced. "Your actions are inexcusable."

"The Defense Minister, huh?" Ken asked, seemingly unconvinced. "Then who was that guy that just ran off?"

"From Galactor." Daimer replied. "And if it weren't for you, he'd be captured!"

"Galactor?" Ken was taken aback. "He didn't seem like the type that would associate with them!"

"Go after him!" Daimer demanded, and the men bowed respectfully, accepting their orders.

"Yes, Sir!" they cried, before running off. Daimer's motorcycle turned away, riding off and leaving the three ninjas in a cloud of dust.

"Galactor even lurks in a peaceful place like this." Ken muttered.

"I'm just glad that we didn't blow our cover," Ryu noted, "although it's too bad you accidentally helped the wrong side, Ken."

"I don't know." Joe said thoughtfully. "Those guys didn't exactly seem on the up and up either."

"Do you think this is why Hakase sent us here?" Ryu wondered.

"It could be." Ken nodded. "In any case, I'm going to try and find that guy myself."

"Do you want any help?" Joe asked.

"No." Ken shook his head. "I'll be less conspicuous on my own. Contact Dr. Nambu and tell him what happened."

Joe didn't like feeling useless, but he was starting to get used to this tendency of the Eagle's to run off and leave the Condor holding the bag. Reluctantly Joe agreed, feeling irritated as he and Ryu watched Ken head away from the scene.

Fortunately, Dr. Nambu agreed with Joe, and ordered the team to split up and search for the man individually. Ken had already taken the G-1 from the God Phoenix, so Joe, Jinpei, and Jun used their vehicles as well, in civilian form, to canvas the area.

But they did not see Ken again. While the others would congregate in the evening and combine the little information they had managed to gather, the Eagle only reported in via bracelet communications, and his messages were short and sparse.

Once again, it was up to the Condor to hold the Team together.

88888

It had taken nearly a week, but now the moment had finally arrived. The Science Ninja Team was here in Hontwal, and Ken was off on his own, searching for signs of Galactor. Now all Red Impulse had to do was to convince Ken that his time here over the last decade had been spent working for the UN, instead of for Sosai.

And if the Defense Minister ended up getting caught in the middle of the Colonel's 'convincing', then so much the better.

First, he had let the Minister's goons catch his trail, and he had led them to Ken, allowing the boy to see them coming after him. How simple it had been! He had easily gotten away once Ken had joined in the fight.

The next part of his plan was nearly identical. He would let the Defense Minister's goons see him flying in a plane, and then lead them to Ken. Of course, Ken was unable to help in an aerial battle, as the G-1 had no weapons in either its civilian or transmuted forms.

This time, Red Impulse would be saving the Eagle.

Everything happened exactly as the Colonel had planned it would. The Galactor jets spied Ken's plane and attacked, sending the tiny Cessna into a series of aerobatics. Red Impulse idly noted that his son had improved in his piloting skills since they had last flown together, on the South Island Base.

But it wasn't enough. Without weapons, eventually Ken would be hit; his plane damaged.

Just as he suspected his son was beginning to sweat, Red Impulse flew out of the clouds, firing on the Galactor aircraft and destroying them, easily extricating his son from a sticky situation.

As soon as he was certain that Ken was safe, the Colonel flew off, knowing that his son would be foolhardy enough to follow. It was only a small risk, because if Ken unexpectedly proved to be too intelligent to fall for this trap, Red Impulse could simply stage another meeting, as he had done the day before.

But there was no need. On his scanners he noticed the G-1 transforming, and continuing to follow him. He nearly rolled his eyes in disgust. Was this what Ken thought of as hiding his identity? Months ago he had lectured Nambu about allowing the boy to do such a thing and here he was at it again… Clearly his son wasn't too bright.

He landed his plane in a nearby clearing, just as the evening winds were beginning to pick up. He was flying his usual red jet, but a few small outer plates had been added to disguise the plane so that the Galactor personnel looking for him wouldn't immediately recognize it. Additionally, he was flying dressed as Agent White, because he couldn't be seen by Galactor forces in Hontwal as Red Impulse. At least… not yet.

He opened the canopy of his jet just in time to see the G-1 land less than a hundred meters away. The Eagle got out of the plane and walked a few steps in the Colonel's direction.

"Thanks a lot, for saving me back there!" Ken called out.

At least the brat realized that he should be grateful. But the boy was behaving irresponsibly. He had no idea who was in the plane, and was really opening himself up for anything.

Fortunately it was this kind of simple-minded behavior that fell right into Red Impulse's plans. He initiated the elevation platform rise, appearing before his bewildered son as Agent White.

"But… but you're…"

"Gatchaman, it looks like you've gotten a little carried away." the Colonel laughed.

"Can it, Galactor fiend!" Ken shouted. "I'll take you down!" The boy raised his toy weapon in what he clearly thought was a threatening manner.

"Really? You're going to try to defeat me?" The Colonel could barely keep the laughter out of his voice.

Gatchaman leapt up into the air, throwing his toy boomerang at his father. The Colonel ducked easily, although the weapon did manage to slice off his hat. His reflexes obviously needed work, if this boy could get that close.

The metal bird bounced off the false panel on his red jet, and the Colonel caught it easily on the rebound.

"I thought you were supposed to keep your identity a secret while you were here!" he lectured his son. To demonstrate his superiority, he threw the boomerang back toward Ken, and the weapon sheathed itself as it landed in Gatchaman's holster. It was a fancy enough trick to impress the boy.

Agent White leapt behind his plane, and when he reemerged from behind the jet, he was dressed as Red Impulse. He engaged the release for the disguise plates on his aircraft, and

his signature red jet was revealed to Gatchaman as well.

"So you're Red Impulse!" Clearly his son was a master of stating the obvious.

"That's right." the Colonel smirked. "You know, it's not polite to attack someone right after they save you. I was just returning the favor from yesterday."

"Who were those guys that attacked you?" Ken asked.

"They're the Defense Minister's attack dogs." Red Impulse explained, laying the groundwork for _his_ version of Galactor's presence in Hontwal.

"You mean those guys yesterday were from Galactor?" His son appeared to be confused. Clearly the boy needed everything spelled out for him.

"That's right, Ken." the Colonel said condescendingly. "This entire country has been taken over by Galactor."

"I see!" Ken exclaimed, the lightbulb finally going off in his head. "So that must be why Dr. Nambu sent us here, then!"

"Yes." Red Impulse confirmed. "I asked Dr. Nambu not to tell you I was here. In order to fool your enemies, you must be able to fool your allies." The Colonel winced as he said these words. It would take a pretty gullible man to swallow that line.

"Man! I just knew Hakase was up to something with this vacation stuff!" Ken smirked.

"Still, I'm glad you sought me out, Ken." Red Impulse said as he climbed into his cockpit. "I have important work to do here. Follow me, and I'll explain everything."

"Sure thing, Red Impulse!" Ken cried happily, running back to his G-1 jet.

It occurred to the Colonel that perhaps Kozaburo Nambu had made a poor choice in deciding to make Ken the leader of the Science Ninja Team. The boy was clearly happier following Red Impulse's lead than working on his own. How did Gatchaman ever make it through a mission on his own?

An image of the Condor rose up in Red Impulse's mind, unbidden. He recalled his first meeting with the man after the Blue Hawk had been stolen, and the memory created a slight sense of uneasiness in his mind. He had avoided the Condor ever since, even during the time the Science Ninja Team had spent training on South Island, although the Colonel had made it his business to know a little more about his son's second-in-command. He had gone through Dr. Nambu's file on the boy, and what he had seen had filled him with a healthy respect for Joe Asakura. The Condor was strong, and angry, and wasn't afraid to disobey orders if he didn't agree with them. He simply wouldn't let go of something once he had determined that it was worth pursuing.

Red Impulse had an inkling that the Condor was suspicious about him. After all, the man had seen him installing Sosai's device on the God Phoenix. Ever since, the Colonel had been avoiding the Condor, and doing his best to keep his interaction with the Science Ninja Team limited to his son.

So perhaps it was the Condor's strength that filled in when his son's instincts were insufficient to lead the Science Ninja Team. That was the purpose of a good second officer, after all.

The two jets approached the small cabin in the mountains that had been the Colonel's base of operations for the past week. The sun had just set, but the two pilots had little trouble landing on the high altitude runway in the near darkness, before heading inside.

Just before landing, Ken had transformed back to his civilian attire, and once they entered the house, Red Impulse kept the boy busy building a fire, while he attended to the messages he had received from Masaki in his absence. Once that was completed, he moved to speak with Ken in front of the comforting blaze, preparing to establish his legitimacy here in Hontwal.

"Hontwal's Defense Minister has secretly joined forces with Galactor." Red Impulse explained. "He's hoping to topple the pacifist President and take over the entire country."

"But if he knows, then why isn't the President doing anything about it?" Ken asked.

"There isn't enough evidence to prove it." the Colonel replied, hiding a smirk behind his coffee cup. He should know. After all, he was the one who had ensured that such evidence was impossible to find.

Everything he had told Ken so far was true. Now he simply had to explain his own presence here.

"I've been searching for that evidence for over a decade." he lied. "You see, this has been my life's mission."

A flash of inspiration suddenly occurred to him. Ken didn't know that he was the Colonel's son. But one day, likely soon, Nambu was bound to reveal the secret. Whatever his faults, Ken had reached the age of manhood, and the Doctor was certain to tell him of his true parentage eventually. If Red Impulse could express regret that he had had to leave his family behind, then at that future time, Gatchaman would become more sympathetic to him, should uncomfortable evidence ever come to light. Despite his ineptitude, the leader of the Science Ninja Team would be a valuable character witness if his position with the UN or the ISO were ever in jeopardy.

"It's the whole reason I had to leave my home… my wife… my son!" Red Impulse cried, dramatically slamming his fist onto the mantle above the roaring fire. He tried to make his voice sound as emotional as he could.

"Do you have any ideas about where your son might be now?" Ken asked, cluelessly sipping his coffee. The Colonel would have to lay it on a little more thickly. He turned, crocodile tears in his eyes as he stared at the boy.

"I've let him down." he said, casting his gaze to the ground. He paused for poignancy, then laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Huh! I didn't expect our conversation to take that turn." he said. He had acted out many roles in his life, but this one took the cake. "Ken, my goal is to keep Hontwal beautiful and peaceful forever. I left my only son to save this wonderful country."

"I think I kind of get what you're saying." Ken said, approaching him. "Ever since I've gotten to Hontwal, I've had this weird feeling of nostalgia. It's almost as if I'd been here before." Red Impulse raised an eyebrow in surprise. Could it be that Ken remembered their family trip to Hontwal when he was but three years of age? The Colonel supposed it was possible.

He had pushed Ken far enough for one day.

"I think it's kind of funny that you actually mistook me for Galactor." Red Impulse laughed, changing the subject. "I think we'd better take a break before we get back to work."

He brought out a pair of blankets, and before long father and son had settled themselves down on the couch for a rest. At about three am, Red Impulse awoke. He sat up, taking a moment to stare at his son. In the clear moonlight that was coming through the window, Ken looked just as he remembered: soft, and weak. The boy's resemblance to Sayuri was incredible. Unbidden, images of Ken as a child began to flow through the Colonel's mind.

He recalled his disgust when he had first learned that Sayuri was pregnant, and then his short-lived hope that perhaps he could raise his son to be a credit to him, and of service to Sosai. But that was before he had discovered how useless the boy truly was.

The Colonel remembered playing with his son as Sayuri watched, acting the role of the doting father, so that she wouldn't suspect that her husband wanted nothing more than to leave her and his pathetic offspring to rot.

If Ken was aware of these thoughts, they didn't bother him. Gatchaman slept with a smile on his face, his countenance hardly the terrifying visage Berg Katse claimed it was. Still, given how little promise he had shown as a child, Red Impulse had to admit that in the end, the boy was helping his father by thwarting the Colonel's enemies.

"Ken, you've grown into an amazing young man." he murmured. He had actually managed to salvage some potential and become a threat to Berg Katse. The Colonel supposed that was worth something, at least.

But for now, it was time to go. Red Impulse had to stage a play for Gatchaman, and convince him that they were _both_ working against Galactor in this country.

"Ken! Ken!" he said, shaking the boy. "Listen, Ken, it's time to get up. We've got to get going."

Ken appeared to be in shock at having been woken from his rest.

"Can't you just let me sleep a little longer? Didn't we just go to bed?" he moaned.

"Quit whining like a child!" Red Impulse shouted, ripping the blanket from his son's body. What the hell was this? Clearly Nambu had raised Ken to be as soft and weak as his mother. Mentally, the Colonel revised his earlier statement. Ken was an amazing young man, all right. It was amazing that someone as pathetic as he could actually cause Berg Katse to tremble in his mutant boots.

"Hey!" Ken protested.

"Ken, I'm determined to find the evidence I need tonight!" Red Impulse lectured. But his son's astonished face caused him to change his method of attack.

"Please, I really need your help, Kid."

It nearly choked him to say those words, but they were the truth. Without Gatchaman as a witness, there was no proof to offer the UN that he had been working on _their_ behalf for the past fourteen years, rather than that of Galactor.

"Fine!" Ken groaned. "Since when do you need my help so much?" Red Impulse had to admit that his son had a point. Perhaps he wasn't actually as stupid as he seemed.

"Man! And I was just dreaming about my Dad, too!" the boy whined.

"So do you think you can remember what he looks like?" the Colonel asked mockingly.

"I couldn't really make out his face." Ken admitted. "It was just us, spending time together." That was good at least. If his memories of his father were pleasant ones, it would be even easier for Red Impulse to take advantage of the relationship, should he ever need to do so.

"You couldn't see his face; that's too bad." the Colonel lied. "I guess it's no surprise though. You were separated from him when you were really young."

"Yeah, but I don't hold a grudge against him."

Red Impulse gasped in surprise. This was far easier than he had expected.

"Just like you, you know?" Ken observed. "I'm sure that he must have had a good reason for leaving." Okay, maybe it wasn't that easy. Was there no end to the boy's thick-headedness?

"Otherwise, he would never have left his only son." Ken said, as he moved toward the door. Then he turned, addressing Red Impulse. "Come on! Let's get to the Defense Minister's house!"

The Defense Minister's home was modeled after its owner's occupation. The very picture of impregnable defense, it resembled a small castle, situated on an island in the middle of a rushing river, and accessible only by a stone bridge connecting it to the mainland.

But Red Impulse knew how to get around such measures. He had had years to study this complex, inside and out, and understood the best way to access the residence, taking advantage of the over-confident guards who patrolled the premises. To that end, he insisted that he and Ken put on wetsuits and scuba gear, and they swam three miles through the river to reach the edge of the Defense Minister's island.

Using a grappling hook, the Colonel threw a rope up to the top of the 'battlements', and began climbing. Ken followed close behind. Once he reached the top of the building, Red Impulse quietly climbed onto the roof, behind the back of an unobservant guard.

Unfortunately, his son chose to announce their presence with his clumsiness, his oxygen tank banging against the stone wall.

So much for this being easy.

Hoping to avert potential disaster, the Colonel swung his own oxygen tank around, bashing the guard in the head. The man slumped silently to the ground, before he was able to raise an alarm.

Quickly divesting themselves of their scuba gear, the two infiltrators entered the Defense Minister's home, making their way to the overly extravagant hallway that led to the Minister's office. Thick Roman columns lined the corridor, giving the Colonel and his son ample places to hide.

Ken, however, did not see the advantage of this type of stealth, and instead threw his weapon into the middle of the hallway. When the guards came to investigate, Red Impulse knocked one out in exasperation. His son followed his movements, then cockily threw his weapon at the double doors at the end of the corridor, slicing off the doorknob.

The maneuver was somewhat ostentatious, but at least it got the job done. The Colonel ran down the hallway after the Eagle, bursting through the double doors and into the Defense Minister's office. Ahead of them lay the entrance to a massive vault.

At least, it _looked_ like a vault. Red Impulse knew that behind that door lay an elevator which led to a Galactor base, where the V2 Plan was being completed. The Colonel didn't know _exactly_ what the V2 Plan entailed, but he did know that Sosai had been working on this for some time, and it was for the sake of this Plan that he himself had been assigned to secure the cooperation of Hontwal officials in its completion. Agent White had done his job well, keeping the UN and ISO out of Hontwal, allowing Galactor to work in relative peace and noninterference.

But Agent White was no longer needed, and Red Impulse had to secure his position with the UN. If he could help Gatchaman discover this base, then his reputation would be untarnished, and no questions could be raised about his activities in this country over the past fourteen years.

"There!" Red Impulse pointed at the vault door. "There's got to be some evidence inside! I've snuck in here many times, and made it this far, but it's always ended in failure." He held his breath, waiting for his son to refute this statement. Did Gatchaman truly think him incompetent enough to spend well over a decade attempting to break into this vault, and yet not make any progress whatsoever?

Apparently he did.

"Tonight, you will succeed." Ken promised rashly.

"With your help, I'll get that evidence." Red Impulse flattered the boy. "If we die, we die together." He held out his hand.

His son took the bait and shook hands, smiling broadly in agreement.

Less than a minute later, a powerful explosion blasted through the room. Red Impulse and Gatchaman clung to the ceiling, barely escaping the fiery blast.

Naturally, the noise caused the Defense Minister and his guards to come running. The Colonel tensed, preparing for a fight.

"Report!" the Minister cried, pushing his way to the fore.

Everyone stared at the place where the vault door was located on the wall. As the smoke cleared, it was revealed that the outside of the door was warped, but the extent of the damage was minimal. The vault had clearly not been breached. Red Impulse swore under his breath. It was time for his backup plan.

"So, they've done it?" the Defense Minister asked.

"Yes, Sir!" Daimer, the Captain of the Minister's guards, reported. "We have intruders!"

"Just relax." the Minister laughed. "They can't blow the vault with such meager explosives!" The portly man moved over to where his desk had once stood, rummaging around in the wreckage.

"Ah, yes!" he announced gleefully. "I knew someone was after the evidence, so I installed a hidden camera." He demonstrated by opening his cigar box. Underneath the top layer of cigars was a small video recording device. Red Impulse grinned. In his pocket he had a tape that looked identical to the one inside of that box. But unlike the Minister's tape, the Colonel's tape contained evidence damaging to the Hontwal Defense Minister, and not security footage of intruders to the estate.

"If we watch this, I'm sure the faces of the intruders will be plain as day!" the Minister chortled.

"There's no need to watch it!" Red Impulse shouted, dropping down from the ceiling, his foot extended for an impact thrust. It was time to 'recover' the 'evidence' for Gatchaman.

His boot impacted with the Defense Minister's face, and when the man tumbled to the ground, the Colonel quickly snatched the security tape, while his son was watching.

"It's that red bastard!" Daimer shouted. "Fire!" His men obediently lifted their rifles.

It was at that moment that Ken chose to fly down from the ceiling, landing in the soldiers' midst and causing havoc with his fists and his kicks. Red Impulse had to admit that his son did a fair job fighting off rabble such as this, even if he was still no match for his father's combat skills.

Even as he watched, Ken pulled out his weapon and shouted, throwing it at the Captain. The Defense Minister's toady fell to the floor, while Gatchaman's boomerang cut the chandelier above the remaining guards, knocking them out.

"Deliver this film to the President for me." Red Impulse ordered his son, handing over the tape that he had brought with him. This video contained evidence he knew was damning to the Defense Minister, while the other, useless footage resided in his pocket. "It should be substantial evidence."

Another group of guards arrived and stood in the doorway, firing at the pair of infiltrators.

"Get down!" the Colonel shouted, throwing a grenade at the guards and pulling his son to the floor. Gatchaman _had_ to deliver that evidence to the President, or all was lost.

Once the smoke had cleared, they ran out the door. More guards approached, firing their weapons. Another grenade thrown from the Colonel's hand quickly fixed that.

They dashed toward a tall window at the end of the hallway. The opening overlooked the rushing river, and Ken appeared to be inexplicably stymied by this development.

"We're going to have to jump into the river." Red Impulse told him. "Hurry up Ken!" When his son appeared to be frozen in place, the Colonel encouraged him again.

"I'll go before you!" he cried, leaping smoothly from the sill and into the fast-moving waters beneath. "Follow me!"

Finally, Ken came out onto the window ledge, staring down at his father in the water below. Encouragingly, the Colonel waved to the boy.

"Come on, Ken!"

And yet, his idiot son stood there, unmoving.

"What are you waiting for?" he hollered, desperate to get his son… his _evidence_… out of the Defense Minister's hands.

Finally, Ken dove off of the ledge, plunging into the river below, and then swimming to his father. Red Impulse laughed in relief, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. Yet the hail of bullets that quickly followed brought the Colonel back to reality.

"We'll have to split up!" he cried. "'Till we meet again!"

Now, he simply had to hope that Gatchaman had enough skill to make it back to safety.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"We haven't seen anything, Joe." Ryu insisted. "Same as yesterday."

"And the day before that!" Jinpei added.

"Be quiet, you two!" Jun reprimanded them. "Can't you see that Joe's stressed enough, as it is? It isn't easy for any of us, with Ken off on his own, but Joe's dealing with the worst of it!"

The Condor grimaced, pretending that he didn't hear the Swan's words. She had an unfailingly accurate way of seeing right to the heart of matters such as this, and it made him slightly uncomfortable, at least in this case, that she knew him so well.

"We need to find out where these Galactor troops are coming from." Joe told the Team. "They're not just appearing out of nowhere. There has to be a base somewhere around here!"

"We need to ask the Hontwal Defense Minister." said Ken, walking into the room as if he had been gone for hours instead of days. "Last night, I broke into his home, with Red Impulse…"

"Red Impulse?" Joe spat. "What's that Rat Bastard doing here, in Hontwal?"

Immediately the Condor's guard was up. He had never trusted Red Impulse, and his time spent training on South Island had only served to convince him that the entire Squadron was a bunch of sick bastards. Masaki and Oniishi were little more than Red Impulse's lapdogs, and if the Condor never saw any of them again, it would be too soon.

"Ken!" shouted Jun, running joyfully over to where the Eagle was standing and throwing herself into his arms. "It's so good to see you! We were worried!"

"I reported in each day." Ken said calmly, awkwardly stepping away from Jun and moving toward the others.

"Pretty short reports!" Jinpei snorted. "Hello, I'm okay, and goodbye! Nothing more than that!"

"That's not important right now, Jinpei." Ken said. "What's important is that Red Impulse explained to me what's going on. He's been here for more than a decade, investigating the Defense Minister on behalf of the UN. Last night was the first time he had ever attempted to break open the Minister's vault, and I helped him. We were unsuccessful, but we found a tape of evidence."

"You helped Red Impulse with his investigation?" Joe asked.

"Yes. It turns out that he was the man in white whom I assisted the other day, on the beach." Ken explained.

"Wait a minute!" Ryu shook his head. "The Police said that man was a Galactor agent!"

"The Police were working for the Defense Minister, who is working for Galactor himself." Ken replied calmly.

"Wait a minute… you're going to take that Rat Bastard's word over that of the _Police_?" Joe sputtered. "As far as I'm concerned, the Police are a lot more trustworthy."

"They're crooked, Joe." Ken said confidently. "But the worst part is that the Defense Minister got away, and by now he's had to have warned Galactor that the Science Ninja Team is onto him. The President of Hontwal is innocent. We have to protect him and expose this Galactor conspiracy for what it really is!"

"How do you suggest we do that, Ken?" Jun asked curiously.

"We attend the President's birthday party tomorrow, as civilians." Ken announced. "If anything goes wrong, we'll be there to stop it."

"Let's just hope that nothing goes wrong." Joe said grimly.

88888

The day of the Hontwal President's birthday party dawned bright and clear. It was a perfect day in a pristine country, except Joe knew that Galactor wouldn't let the perfection last.

The party itself was full of happiness and joy: children running everywhere, laughing people, and plenty of refreshments for everyone. Joe noted Jinpei and Ryu sampling every delicacy they could get their hands on at the buffet table, while Jun had actually convinced Ken to have a drink with her. In fact, the Eagle seemed slightly distracted by the Swan as she smiled at him.

Good. Perhaps he had finally come to his senses after all. Jun deserved to be happy.

Joe moved toward the buffet table, his eyes taking in the scene around him. A sea of children were laughing and calling birthday greetings to the President, while numerous brightly colored balloons floated in the air. The Hontwal President stood on the balcony of his home, waving and laughing at the crowd below. The Condor had to smile, in spite of himself.

"I can't believe the guy we helped out was really Red Impulse!" Ryu commented in between mouthfuls of food.

"I knew that whole vacation thing was too good to be true!" Jinpei added.

"Hey, Ken," Jun reminded the Eagle, "you should hurry and give the President that evidence." Joe was a little surprised that Ken hadn't done this already, but the flush on the Eagle's cheeks told the Condor that perhaps the Swan's charms had been somewhat more distracting than she realized.

"Right…" Ken agreed sheepishly, holding the tape in his hand.

But at that moment, the ground shook, and Jun reached out to Ken in surprise and fear. A massive fireball shot into the sky from the harbor of downtown Kinza City. Galactor had announced their presence in a terrifying manner. The children began to run into the Presidential Palace in fright.

"Galactor rears its ugly head." Ken muttered. "Listen, we've got to protect the President, and the children!"

"Roger!"

The team ran toward the Palace, transforming as they approached, quickly herding the remaining party guests inside. Ken directed Jinpei and Ryu to escort the civilians into an escape tunnel below the building, while he, Joe, and Jun met the President and his aides, leading this group to the same safety. As they departed, Ken pressed the tape of evidence into the President's hand.

"I don't know how necessary this will be now," he told the Hontwal Leader, "but this evidence proves that your Defense Minister is working with Galactor."

"I had suspected such." the President acknowledged. "That is why my escape tunnel exists."

"Please ensure that the President and the children make it to safety." the Eagle instructed the aides.

Now that their primary task was complete, the Science Ninja Team returned to the mouth of the tunnel, just in time to see a strange Galactor mecha literally roll through the gates of the Presidential Palace, on the security monitors.

The mecha was a Wheel that appeared as if it had a road wrapped around it, and the dotted yellow line that circumnavigated the Wheel made the Condor long for his G-2. He wanted nothing more than to tear down that highway, his guns blazing.

The Science Ninja Team wasn't the only force assembled there. Groups of loyal Hontwal military were now gathered outside of the Palace.

An elevation platform on the Wheel mecha rose up, revealing the purple-clad figure of Berg Katse.

"This country now belongs to Galactor!" the madman shouted.

"Open fire on those bastards!" cried the Captain leading the Hontwal Military. But unfortunately Galactor was ahead of the game. The green-uniformed goons fired first, and the Hontwal soldiers fell to ground, screaming in shock and pain. The Condor was about to launch his own attack when the deadly hail stopped and Berg Katse shouted out new orders.

"Over there! Pick up the President's mansion!"

Wait a minute… _pick it up_?

But indeed, the Wheel was sprouting giant arms from its hubcaps, which reached for the stately white residence of the Hontwal Leader. The entire building was removed from its foundations, the structure crumbling under the mecha's strength.

"Ha ha!" Katse cackled. "Oh yes! Now the President is smashed like a toad!"

"Don't start the party yet, Berg Katse!" Ken shouted.

"I know that voice!" Katse cried, his tone one of anger.

The five ninjas came forth from the mouth of the underground tunnel, where they had been concealed. They flew through the air, landing on the roof of the mangled Palace and crying out their presence.

"Think we're on vacation, or something?" Ken joked. "With our help, the President and the children safely escaped through an underground passageway."

"Better luck next time, Rat Fink!" Jinpei taunted the Galactor Leader.

"Damn it!" Katse swore. "You've interfered again, you freaking Bird Boys!"

"You want to destroy the beauty and peace of this country!" the Eagle accused. "Well it's not happening on our watch!"

"Shoot them all down!" Katse screamed in response. "I want them all dead!"

Immediately, the Wheel mecha completed its task of crushing the Presidential Palace, and the five ninjas jumped off of the crumbling structure, landing safely on the ground, in Tornado Fighter formation. They initiated the maneuver immediately, and in short order the Condor was staring at the scene of destruction through a dizzying whirlwind of force.

Green-uniformed goons flew through the air, and the Wheel mecha's arms attempted to crush the Tornado. But it was far too slow, and the five members of the Science Ninja Team broke apart, ready to attack any remaining Galactors.

Even as he soared through the air, the Condor pulled out his cablegun, firing it at two goons attempting to reboard their mecha and instead knocking them from their perch. They fell backward, while Joe landed on the Wheel's surface, slamming the back of his gun into another goon's head before turning and dealing with the other dozen or so soldiers in his range, using a combination of feather shuriken and a flurry of well-aimed punches and kicks. The Swallow landed next to him, sending out his Bolas at one of the remaining goons.

The mecha Wheel began to shake, and the arm on which Joe and Jinpei were standing tilted at a dangerous angle, causing the two ninjas to jump to the ground. The Wheel fell on its side, and the arms retracted.

"Watch out! Everyone, fall back!" The Eagle shouted out a warning as a powerful blast of air came forth from the Galactor craft. "Come on!"

They all jumped for cover behind a set of rocks, watching in disgust as the mecha took off into the air like a flying saucer.

"They're making a break for it!" Ken growled. "Damn!"

Yet there was nothing they could do. As the mecha disappeared and it became clear that the threat had ended, the Eagle called in a report to Dr. Nambu on his bracelet.

"Hakase, come in!"

"Ken, you did great work out there, helping Red Impulse." Nambu replied. "Thanks to you, we were able to catch the Defense Minister. But now your real mission is about to begin. Accomplish this mission, and you'll finally be able to meet your father."

"Huh? What did you just say?" the Eagle cried. His face was frozen in a mask of shock.

"I pray for your success." the Doctor said, before terminating the communication.

"Hakase, wait!" Ken shouted, but the signal was gone.

"My Dad is still alive…" Ken whispered, an expression of joy washing over his features. Without warning, he took a few steps forward, then dashed away, sprinting at top speed to leave his Team behind.

"Ken, where are you going?" cried Jun, clearly distressed by the Eagle's sudden departure.

"Cool it, Jun." Joe told her. "We should leave him alone for now. He wants a little time to himself." The Condor knew how he would feel, if he learned that his parents were alive.

The Eagle deserved to savor this knowledge in peace.

88888

Unfortunately, their efforts in Hontwal proved to be in vain. The Defense Minister had been broken out of prison by his men, and with Galactor's help had staged a coup overnight. The President was captured and then deposed 'in absentia', and now Berg Katse was effectively in control of the country. But there wasn't much the Science Ninja Team could do until they located the source of Galactor activity. Officially, this was a civil war: an internal political matter, and the UN forbade them from interfering.

For the following few days, they saw Ken almost as little as they had before the Hontwal President's birthday party. The Eagle was focused on finding any sign of Galactor. For the few moments Joe spoke with Ken, all the leader of the Science Ninja Team could talk about was finding Galactor… and his father.

As a boy, Ken's hero worship of his father had rubbed Joe the wrong way, but eventually Joe had come to realize that this idealized picture of Ken's sire was a part of him: something that helped to shape his personality, and the man he had become. As he had grown, Ken had spoken about his father less and less, and Joe had assumed that this was because his friend had thought about the man less often.

But now, the Condor realized that this wasn't the case. The Eagle's longing for his father had simply been repressed, much like Joe had repressed his memories of his own parents.

Yet they were still there.

And now that Dr. Nambu had confirmed that Ken's father was, indeed, alive, the Eagle's obsession had reached new heights, and he thought of little else. So Joe wasn't entirely surprised when he got a frantic call from Jinpei on his bracelet a few days after the Science Ninja Team had returned from Hontwal.

"Joe, Ken's gone!"

"Gone? What do you mean _gone_? He's been out searching for signs of Galactor for days!"

"No, I mean he really _is_ gone!" Jinpei cried, distressed. "He took off with some old friend named Sabu… Joe, I think it had something to do with Ken's father, but I'm not sure how."

"We'll inform Dr. Nambu immediately." the Condor growled.

88888

"What?" Dr. Nambu exclaimed angrily, standing up and glaring at the remaining members of the Science Ninja Team. "Ken's gone to Hontwal to look for his father?"

"Yes, Sir." Jinpei admitted ashamedly. "I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me!"

"That idiot! What a selfish thing to do right now!" Nambu yelled.

"Jinpei!" Jun scolded. "Why didn't you let me know about something that important?"

"And we still can't get ahold of him through his bracelet?" Joe asked.

"I tried that!" Jinpei cried. "But he must have turned off his communication device."

For a brief instant, Joe found himself at a loss for words. Ken had actually _turned off_ his bracelet? That was as good as going off duty, as Dr. Nambu would be unable to contact the Eagle in an emergency.

"Why would he do something so stupid at such a critical time?" the Doctor asked, his stress showing itself in his bent posture and the scowl on his face. "We can't wait for him. You'll have to finish this mission alone."

The Condor nodded grimly. He was prepared to take on Galactor alone, if he had to, and he still had Jun, Jinpei and Ryu.

Dr. Nambu showed them a large image on his wall monitor.

"This is an aerial photograph of Hontwal, taken by the Red Impulse Squadron." Nambu informed them.

"What the hey?" Ryu exclaimed, upon seeing a close up image of a giant rocket. "That big bird is poking its head out of a hole in that rock!"

"This is the missile launch pad of the V2 Plan." the Doctor stated. "The country of Hontwal is carrying out this plan in conjunction with Galactor. I want you to strike here!"

"What the hell is this V2 Plan, anyway, Hakase?" Joe asked grimly.

"Well…" the Doctor sighed. He began to explain how the V2 missile would cause the Van Allen Belt to descend upon the Earth, causing natural disasters all over the globe.

"I don't really get it," Jinpei admitted, "but it sounds serious!"

"But without Ken's G-1, the God Phoenix is going to be moving a lot slower than usual." Joe pointed out.

"He's right!" Jun added. "And we won't be able to use the Bird Missiles or the Firebird either!"

"There's no time to worry about those things now." Nambu lectured. "Move out immediately!"

Joe grimaced. It was fine for Dr. Nambu to say not to worry about these things, but right now they were the Condor's problem. Since Ken had decided to run off, Joe was in charge, and without any of the usual offensive options, there wasn't much the Science Ninja Team could actually do.

88888

"Ken has disappeared."

"_What_? Where the hell did the boy go? Galactor is about to launch the V2 Plan any day now, and I need his assistance to stop them!"

"I think he is looking for _you_." Dr. Nambu said, completely unflustered by Red Impulse's outburst. "I made the mistake of letting him know that his father is alive, and he's been obsessed with looking for you ever since. Apparently, an old friend of his, a boy named Sabu, arrived in town the other day under mysterious circumstances, and Ken took off with him. He's turned off his bracelet, and we have no way of contacting him."

Damn it! Of all the times for Nambu to drop his guard down and let something slip, it had to be _now_, when Berg Katse was about to realize his greatest achievement? The Colonel needed Ken to help him stop that purple mutant, to add validity to what he was doing, and to silence any questions that might be raised about Red Impulse's loyalties in the UN. Now that Galactor was actively searching for 'Agent White', they might…

"They've taken him." the Colonel whispered, with sudden insight. "Those Galactor idiots have taken him because somehow, they've realized that he's my son!"

Dr. Nambu's face paled on the communications viewscreen, and the scientist fumbled nervously with his glasses.

"It seems to be a supportable hypothesis." the Doctor said at last. "I'll send the rest of the Science Ninja Team out after him."

"No!" the Colonel protested. If Galactor knew that Ken was his son, then they knew that Agent White, the double agent, was Kentaro Washio. He couldn't risk any of the Science Ninja Team discovering the connection between the two.

"He's _my_ son." Red Impulse stated. "I'll go."

"As you wish." Nambu nodded. "I pray for your success."

88888

Despite the Condor's misgivings, there really was no choice, and only minutes after their briefing had been completed, the remaining members of the Science Ninja Team were flying toward Hontwal. Ken's empty chair seemed to mock them, and they traveled in silence.

"Man, we're all in trouble." Joe grumbled, analyzing the data on Galactor's latest Wheel mecha. "If we run into that Cata-Roller, we're all going to be dead meat." He didn't realize that he had spoken his thoughts aloud until Jinpei complained as well. Damn, this wasn't what a leader was supposed to do!

"I can't believe Aniki is so dumb!" the Swallow whined. "He acts stupid, and I get yelled at!"

"You know," Ryu offered, "I don't think Hakase should ever have told him that his Dad is still alive." This was going nowhere fast. Joe decided to raise morale by looking at the bright side.

"As soon as we get to Hontwal, I get to do whatever I want with my G-2." he grinned.

"Yeah! And I'm going to sock it to them with my G-4, too!" Jinpei declared.

"Same here!" Ryu crowed. "It's time to go bash some heads in!"

"Stop it!" Jun cried, standing up to ensure that she had everyone's attention. "What do you think will happen if we break up like that?" Joe had to admit, she had a point.

"I understand, Onechan," Jinpei retorted, "but it's Aniki's fault that we're in this mess, so we've got to take care of it!"

"Right!" Ryu agreed. "Ken's the leader, and he shouldn't let his personal life get in the way!" It was an interesting issue. Joe knew that Ken had always pushed Jun away, because he didn't want his personal feelings to get in the way of his duty. But now, knowing about his father… it was as if all rational thought had gone out of Ken's head.

"He's so wound up about his father, you'd think he was a baby." Joe muttered.

Without warning, a dark shape appeared in front of them, rising up from the clouds.

"Ah!" Ryu cried. "Joe, what are we going to do? The Cata-Roller's here!"

Indeed, the new Wheel mecha they had encountered at the President's Palace in Hontwal was now facing off directly with the God Phoenix. The dotted lines on the 'road' that wrapped around its exterior had extended, revealing spiked edges that whirled viciously around the Galactor craft. They made a few passes by the mecha, testing out its reaction times.

"I think we goofed." Jinpei said in a small voice. "Let's go back!"

"We'll be fine!" Joe shouted, before turning to Ryu. "Give it a good ram!" he ordered.

"Know what? You should leave the piloting to me!" Ryu snapped.

"Stop it!" Jun admonished. "Not at a time like this!" She looked at the viewscreen, her eyes searching for something she was not about to find.

"Where are you?" she asked plaintively. "We need you, Ken!"

Joe refused to answer. There wasn't a hell of a lot they could do without the G-1 onboard. How could Ken have been so thoughtless as to take off with his jet?

But there were more important matters to worry about at that moment. The Cata-Roller mecha passed by them, its spikes cutting into the hull of the God Phoenix.

"That thing's a lot faster than us, and it's got better maneuverability!" yelled Ryu.

"It's all Aniki's fault!" Jinpei screamed. "If I die, I'm going to haunt his ass!"

Suddenly, Jun stood up, running to the back of the Bridge.

"Onechan, where are you going?" Jinpei asked anxiously.

"To rewire the Bird Missiles, so we can use them." Jun smirked. Joe felt like running over and kissing her. Finally, someone had been able to come up with a viable means of defense!

"Of course!" Ryu's eyes boggled. "Now why didn't we think of that sooner?"

"Maybe you should stop bad-mouthing Ken, and start using your brain." Jun retorted as she ran off. Joe's cheeks burned. The Swan was right. The Condor had been given a chance at leadership, and he had blown it. Now the Swan had had to step in and take control. Joe was grateful to Jun for doing so, but cringed inwardly at the incompetence he had displayed thus far.

He was going to make up for that, right now.

"That was uncalled for." Ryu whined.

"She's right, Ryu." Joe snapped. "She's the only one here who's actually doing something, instead of whining. So get off your fat ass and fly this damn ship!"

"Extend the Auto-Clippers for me." the Swan said, her voice coming through their bracelets. The Owl obediently initiated the release sequence, under the Condor's watchful eye. Then Joe went back to his station, carefully monitoring the status of the G-1 Bay. The moment the computer systems registered as having the G-1 on board, Joe jumped to his feet.

"All right! She did it!" he crowed. "Come around for another pass, Ryu!"

The God Phoenix pulled around, until it was facing Cata-Roller head on. It was the perfect positioning.

"Ha! There's no one here to stop me." the Condor grinned. "Let's fire some Bird Missiles!" Rapidly, he depressed the red button four times, sending missiles into the vital areas of the Cata-Roller mecha. But after the fourth press, the protective cover over the missile launcher retracted, and Joe noted that the G-1 no longer registered as being docked within the God Phoenix.

"I guess the cables can only withstand so much." Joe noted.

But it was enough. The Cata-Roller mecha exploded in front of them, fiery bursts obscuring their view momentarily as the Galactor craft blew apart.

Thanks to Jun, they had gotten past their first obstacle.

88888

He moved silently down the street, keeping his eyes on his target. The boy had emerged from an abandoned building that was a known entrance to an underground Galactor base, and he had followed his target until they were alone, on an infrequently traveled street.

The boy stopped, looking at a wad of cash he had stored inside of his jacket. He was distracted, and it gave Agent White an opportunity to approach his target, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.

The boy jumped, startled, but underestimated the threat in front of him. He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Agent White ordered. "Are you going to travel around the world on that betrayal money?"

Sabu barely had time to register his shock before Agent White's fist landed on his jaw.

It was only the beginning of the boy's interrogation.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"We're ready, Captain."

Agent White nodded at the two men beside him. Both were dressed exactly as he was, with their hats pulled down low, so that their faces could not be seen. Masaki and Oniishi weren't quite as good at disguise as he was, but Red Impulse was confident in their ability to pull this off.

"None of the Galactors must make it out of there alive." he instructed his men, and they nodded grimly. Unlike his idiot son, the Colonel knew that he could count on them to do as he had ordered. He nodded curtly, sending his men running to their designated positions.

He waited for a moment to ensure that Masaki and Oniishi were in place, and then Agent White began walking across the metal floor of the empty warehouse, approaching the place where Galactor was holding his son prisoner. He strode purposefully, his footsteps ringing loud and clear to announce his presence. In the distance, he could hear Masaki and Oniishi's approach echoing his.

"Dad, no! Please go!"

Red Impulse cringed at the sound of his son's pleading voice. It wasn't the voice of a man, but of a scared child. Was this truly the great Gatchaman, of whom Berg Katse was so afraid? For a brief instant, the Colonel was tempted to leave and let Galactor kill him.

But then, his own security would be at risk. Like it or not, he needed his son as a character witness, should any question as to Kentaro Washio's loyalties ever emerge.

He had to continue.

He heard the sound of a lashing whip, and knew that his son was being 'punished' for crying out. He only hoped that the lashes had been brutal enough to knock some sense into the boy.

He could see them now, a small handful of goons awaiting his arrival, rifles held in their hands. He stopped just outside of their weapon range.

"What's the matter, Kentaro Washio?" sneered Daimer. "Your precious son is waiting to meet you." The Captain was holding a whip over his shoulder as he smirked at Agent White.

But Daimer's smirk disappeared as it became obvious that two more men were approaching the room. The goons began to get nervous, swiveling back and forth, uncertain where to point their weapons.

"Watch out! He's got something up his sleeve!" Daimer shouted, bravely taking cover.

The Colonel ducked back behind the wall, quickly pulling off his disguise, while Masaki and Oniishi did the same. On the silent count of three, Red Impulse pulled out his gun, then emerged, firing into the crowd of bewildered goons. He ran into the room, and Masaki and Oniishi joined him, the three red-garbed men running back and forth, confusing their enemy with their guns blazing. In short order, all of the green-uniformed Galactor soldiers lay dead on the floor, except…

"Who are you?" Daimer shouted angrily. "And why hasn't the spy shown up? Where the hell is Washio?"

Red Impulse smirked, firing his gun and knocking Daimer's weapon from his hand. He grinned at Masaki and Oniishi, who each took a turn aiming at the Captain, wounding him so that he stumbled back down the stairs upon which he was standing, before the Colonel made the fatal shot.

Next they turned their eyes to Ken, and Red Impulse and Masaki shot the restraints holding the boy in place, so that he was now freed. Their task complete, the Colonel knew it was time to depart.

"We're running out of time, men!" he shouted. "Hurry!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Masaki and Oniishi ran out of the room, rushing to search the base and locate the V2 Missile. They simply could not let Berg Katse have this victory, else Sosai would be far too pleased with his mutant creation. Red Impulse moved to follow when unexpectedly his son cried out.

"No! No, wait! Please, Red Impulse!"

Despite his better judgment, the Colonel turned back to look at his pathetic excuse for a son. The boy was standing on the platform on which he had been chained, a dejected expression on his face.

"My Dad! Where's my Dad?" Ken pleaded.

"Come on!" Red Impulse lectured. "This is not the time to focus on yourself, understand? Listen! Galactor is attempting to launch a missile that will cause the Van Allen Belt to come crashing down on Earth! If we don't stop them, the entire Globe will be decimated! Do you understand, Ken?" He knew it was a desperate hope, but perhaps the boy could actually be of assistance to them in stopping the V2 Plan.

But Ken still remained unconvinced. The Colonel gave it one last try, playing on his wimpy son's sympathies.

"If Galactor succeeds, who's going to take responsibility for it?" he asked. "It's no time to cry for your father."

But Ken's face remained blank, as if the boy's mind was having a difficult time switching gears from one crisis to another. His son was so wrapped up in his own problems that he was unable to see the bigger picture. It was better for Red Impulse that the boy didn't realize who his father truly was.

Better to get him out of the way, then.

With a quick flash of inspiration, Red Impulse grabbed Sabu, whom his men had dragged along on this mission as 'insurance', should the punk give them false information to save his own hide. The Colonel tossed Sabu back into the room in which Ken still stood, gaping at his rescuer.

"Oh, I'd almost forgotten about this punk!" Red Impulse sneered. "I'll let you dispose of him however you wish." The Colonel threw Sabu onto the floor, before finally departing. At least his son's betrayer would be useful one last time, by keeping a useless Gatchaman from interfering in Red Impulse's hunt for the V2 Missile.

Because time was running out.

88888

"I've located the V2 Missile Launch Bay!" Jun exclaimed. "I'm sending you the coordinates, Ryu!"

"Good work!" the Condor praised the Swan. Things were finally coming together for them. "Ryu, take us there and land the God Phoenix. We have to infiltrate that base and prevent the missile from launching!"

"Roger!" Ryu shouted, quickly flying the red and blue warship to the designated location. The ship landed in the middle of a large meadow, on a precipice overlooking the ocean. All four ninjas disembarked and ran to the edge of the cliff, searching for the entrance to the Launch Bay.

Unfortunately, that entrance was all too clear when a massive rocket shot out of an opening below them in the cliffside, the heat and flames from its wake scorching the grass where they stood. Instinctively, they wrapped their wings around themselves and dove to the ground, protecting themselves from the fiery blast.

"No! We're too late!" Ryu cried.

"If only we'd gotten here just an hour earlier!" Joe was angry. If they had had the G-1 onboard the God Phoenix, and had been able to move at maximum velocity…

The V2 Missile shot up into the sky, a white trail of smoke marking its passage. The Condor hung his head in defeat.

What would happen to the people of Earth, now?

88888

Red Impulse watched the V2 Missile as it shot up toward the atmosphere. He and his men had not had sufficient time to locate the Missile Launch Bay after rescuing Ken. His damned son had allowed Berg Katse to claim the ultimate victory over the people of Earth, and more importantly, over Sosai's loyalties.

"We're too late. That monster Berg Katse has finally done it."

There was nothing left for Red Impulse now.

88888

"I'm so sorry, Hakase, but we just missed it." Jun reported to Dr. Nambu. "We were too late to prevent the missile launch."

"If that Cata-Roller hadn't stopped us…" Joe growled. "If the God Phoenix had been complete!"

"If Ken had been here like he was supposed to…" Ryu moaned.

"Don't even say his name!" Joe snapped. "Some leader! Splitting when we needed him most!" He glared at Ryu, but his words were in reality a rebuke for Dr. Nambu. Years ago, Ken had been chosen to be the leader of the Science Ninja Team, because the Doctor had seen him as being more stable and dependable than Joe. If Nambu had made a different choice back then, would things have been any different now?

They might never know.

"Please, don't blame Ken." the Doctor said quietly. "In all honesty, it's me who should be blamed."

Joe couldn't believe it. After a crisis of _this_ magnitude, Nambu was still making allowances for Ken? It was unbelievable!

"I might as well tell you." Nambu went on, unaware of the Condor's anger. "It was fourteen years ago. I learned that Hontwal had joined forces with Galactor, and was beginning preparations for the V2 Plan. So I asked a man working as a test pilot at my research facility to enter Hontwal undercover and get the blueprints. But that was espionage against powerful and evil people. So not wanting to put his family at risk, he left his four year old son with me. He then faked his death in an accident over the Southern Seas. He became nameless, changed his appearance, and then snuck into Hontwal." The Doctor took a breath after his long speech, before his final revelation.

"That man, Red Impulse, is Ken's father."

The Condor wanted to scream out his frustrations, but found himself unable to speak. That son of a bitch Rat Bastard! Not only did he have questionable loyalties, but he was Ken's father? The man whom Ken had worshipped for over a decade? The man for whom Ken had thrown every last shred of duty out the window, endangering the entire planet by allowing Galactor to enact the V2 Plan?

If Red Impulse had been there, right then, the Condor would have strangled him with his bare hands.

"The Commander of Red Impulse is Ken's father?" Jun asked, astounded.

"Aniki doesn't know about this yet, does he?" Jinpei asked in a small voice.

"If only I'd told Ken about this sooner," Nambu moaned, "then he would have been spared his agony."

Tears fell from the Swan's eyes.

"Ken…"

88888

Ken was still missing.

Joe didn't understand where the hell the Eagle was. According to Dr. Nambu, Red Impulse had been sent to find Ken, and he had done so, successfully releasing him from the Galactor thugs who had held him prisoner.

And yet, the Eagle had not returned.

Red Impulse was to blame; Joe was certain of it. The Condor had never trusted that Rat Bastard, and deep down he knew that the man had had something to do with Ken's disappearance, father or no father. Ken still hadn't contacted any of them, which either meant that he was dead, or in real trouble. Neither scenario sat well with the Condor.

What was so frustrating was that no one else seemed to share Joe's concerns for the Eagle's safety. Granted, the Earth certainly had its share of problems right now with the intense global warming effects of the descent of the Van Allen Belt, yet it angered him that the others blindly trusted in Dr. Nambu's calm exterior, and that Dr. Nambu blindly trusted in Red Impulse.

It was annoying as hell.

"Team I need to meet with you in the conference room." The Doctor's voice came from his wrist.

"On my way, Hakase." Joe replied.

He only hoped that Dr. Nambu had news of Ken.

The Condor arrived at the conference room, only to find the Swan already there. Jun stared out the large window at the plentiful marine life beyond, but her eyes did not seem to focus on the watery vista in front of her.

"Do you think Hakase has news of Ken?" she asked Joe hopefully.

"I doubt it." Joe grunted. "The way things have been going for me lately, I couldn't get that lucky."

"I'm worried about him." Jun admitted.

"I am too." Joe replied, his head snapping up. Did Jun share his concerns for Ken's safety? "I have nightmares of Ken being held by Galactor. Let's go and find him…"

"Oh no, nothing like that." Jun shook her head. "Red Impulse told Dr. Nambu that he freed Ken, remember? But Ken must be so distraught, not to return to us…"

"Yeah, right…" Joe mumbled sarcastically. Damn it! Even Jun had faith in that Rat Bastard!

"Ken had gone looking for his father, and never found him." Jun reminded Joe. "He doesn't know that Red Impulse…" She looked over at Joe, her large emerald eyes brimming with emotion.

"I know you don't like Red Impulse, Joe," she said quietly, "but he _is_ Ken's father. He _must_ have Ken's best interests at heart. I'm sure he's out searching for Ken right now."

"Why would that Rat Bastard suddenly give a damn about Ken, after abandoning him for fourteen years?" Joe countered. "If he really cared about his son, he wouldn't have let Ken think he was dead."

Jun appeared to be uncertain, but anything she might have said in response was lost in the arrival of Jinpei and Ryu.

"Any word about Aniki?" Jinpei asked quietly.

"No." Jun shook her head. "Not yet."

"I wish he were here." Ryu said quietly. "I don't like the idea of having to go out without him, again."

"Last time certainly was an unqualified disaster." Joe grimaced.

"Looks like Aniki may _never_ make it back." Jinpei said sadly.

"I wonder where he is, and what he's doing…" Jun sighed.

The four ninjas stared glumly out the window, all of them wishing for the same miracle: that their leader would suddenly walk through the door.

But when the portal opened, it was to reveal Dr. Nambu.

"Listen everyone," he said by way of greeting, "the ISO received a taped message from Galactor this morning."

"Here we go." Joe grimaced. Another mission, without the Eagle.

"What is it?" asked Ryu.

In response, the Doctor simply played the audio tape.

"Good morning, dear friends in the ISO!" came Berg Katse's mocking voice.

"It's that rat-faced Katse!" Ryu groaned.

"I hate that jerk's voice!" Jinpei whined.

"Now you've all beheld our true power." Katse's voice said triumphantly. "In six months, the Earth will be fully enveloped by radioactivity. You should surrender at once. Only Galactor is capable of returning the Van Allen Belt to its proper position. All we're asking for is the Earth's unconditional surrender."

The Condor's fingers unconsciously tightened into a fist as he listened to the psychopath's words. He couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of pain and horror the citizens of Earth would suffer, if they were to surrender to the will of Galactor.

"We'll wait twenty-four hours for your response." the Galactor Leader's voice smirked. "Buh-bye."

Fortunately, Dr. Nambu stopped the playback at that moment, else the Condor's fist might have done it for him. Instead, he slammed that fist into his other hand.

"It makes me sick!" he scowled.

"Isn't there anything we can do to prevent this from happening?" Jun asked anxiously.

"I don't know." the Doctor admitted, sounding more desperate than Joe could ever recall. "We're at a disadvantage. We don't have enough time."

"Katse said Galactor could return the Van Allen Belt to its regular position." Ryu reminded them. "But how?"

"Obviously they have a missile." Nambu replied. "Theoretically speaking, all we'd have to do is blow the Van Allen Belt out of the atmosphere with a violent blast. But it would need a very powerful missile. That being said, the ISO still doesn't have the resources to create one in time."

"Aw, man! Are we gonna surrender?" Ryu asked. The Condor felt like smacking the Owl in the head. How could he say something so stupid?

"They'll just wait until we do, then launch their missile to save the planet!" Jinpei shouted angrily.

"Hey!" Joe's mind suddenly cleared, and the solution lay right in front of him. "Why don't we just steal some of their thunder, then?" He turned to look at Jun, whose face reflected the excitement in his own.

"Before we surrender, we could sneak into Galactor's base and steal their missile!" the Swan finished the Condor's thought for him.

"Then all we've got to do is launch it ourselves!" Jinpei cried happily. "Solid!"

"I have to go back to the ISO right away." Nambu said. His words were mundane, but they could all hear the excitement in the Doctor's voice. "I'll be counting on all of you to make this happen. Now, go!"

"Roger!"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Your services are required."

Red Impulse sat bolt upright in his bed, his mind instantly awake. He had never expected to hear that voice again, much less those words.

"Sosai!" he gasped. "What can I do for you?"

"I need you to play a crucial role in the V2 Plan." the alien entity replied.

"Anything, Sosai!" the Colonel cried, his voice full of the happiness he felt at hearing his master's voice again. And to be asked to assist the alien entity with the V2 Plan was an incredible demonstration of trust. Red Impulse did not know exactly what his part in the plan would entail, but he knew that Sosai had been working on this operation for many years. In fact, the entire reason that the Colonel had been sent to Hontwal fourteen years ago was to enlist the aid of local government officials, so that Sosai's agents could work on this project undisturbed. A few years later, he had volunteered to serve in Hontwal for the UN, and since that time Red Impulse had been feeding them false information to hide Galactor's _true_ purpose in this otherwise peaceful country.

"I need you to fly a missile." Sosai informed him. "There is a counter to the V2 Plan, and I am certain that the ISO will attempt to take control of it by commandeering our V2 Termination Missile. Whether or not such an attempt succeeds, I need _you_ to fly the missile, so that _I _may control the outcome of this counter-plan."

"I will do whatever you ask, Sosai." Red Impulse groveled. "I am just so happy to be forgiven for my earlier mistakes."

"You should be." the alien entity snapped. "I have a long memory and I will not tolerate any further disobedience from you!"

"You will not have cause to do so." the Colonel promised. "I will fulfill your needs _exactly_ as you have instructed."

Red Impulse was grateful that Sosai had seen fit to contact him again, yet he also burned with curiosity. Why had the alien entity, who was admittedly unforgiving, chosen to contact him _now_? He didn't dare ask.

But Sosai seemed to sense his question.

"Do you know why I initially chose _you_ to be my contact, when you were a child?" the alien entity asked.

"No, Sosai." the Colonel groveled. "But I am extremely grateful that you did so."

"Back when I thought that I could use one of your unadulterated species to assist me, your mind was the strongest that I had found. Despite the fact that you were only a child, you could hear me, even from half a world away."

"Is this not true of all your servants?" Red Impulse asked, surprised. He had not realized that others were unable to hear Sosai as he was.

"Others can hear me." the alien entity clarified, "but only when they are close to me. Even Berg Katse can only hear my voice from a few hundred meters away, and he cannot speak with me until we are much closer than that, unless I project myself. And my projection range is limited."

"I am joyful to have a unique talent that is of use to you, Sosai."

"It will be extremely useful. As you pilot this missile into Earth's atmosphere, I will be able to remain in contact with you, and monitor your progress."

"I am yours to command, Sosai. I am pleased that you have seen my loyalty."

"Loyalty…" the alien entity's voice sounded strange, but the Colonel was unable to determine what was different about it. "Yes, you are very loyal."

And then he was gone.

Red Impulse smiled happily. His life had a purpose, once more.

88888

The God Phoenix flew toward Hontwal, but this time the Condor sat in the front chair next to the Owl. He was in command of this mission and this Team, and he was determined not to fail again.

Yet even simply crossing into Hontwal airspace was rife with problems. Although the Science Ninja Team had managed to save the life of the duly elected national President, Galactor had managed to break into the high security prison outside of Kinza City and rescue the Defense Minister, who was now in control of the country. They had then captured the President, and were holding him prisoner.

Which of course meant that Galactor was in control of the country, including its military.

"There they are, the entire Hontwal Air Force." the Condor sighed.

"Well, at least Dr. Nambu fixed the wiring for us," Ryu pointed out, "so we can use the Bird Missiles."

"I hate to have to fire on them." the Condor said regretfully. "They're just doing their jobs. They don't understand that they're really taking orders from Galactor."

"All the same, if they're trying to stop us from finding the missile that can counter the V2 Plan, we need to get past them." Jun pointed out. Joe nodded quietly, understanding that she was right, even as Ryu skillfully piloted the God Phoenix to evade the weapons fire of the Hontwal Military Forces.

"Let's do this." the Condor said, steeling himself for the unpleasant task. He retracted the cover over the red button that launched the Bird Missiles. But just as he was about to fire, his bracelet lit up with a familiar, colorful symbol.

"Hey, it's a Birdscramble!" Ryu exclaimed.

"It's Ken!" Jun cried happily. "It's got to be Ken!" A wave of relief passed over the entire Science Ninja Team, but no one was more affected than Joe. For days he had been extremely worried about Ken's well-being; afraid that Gatchaman was being held prisoner or otherwise at the mercy of Galactor. And now, to get a signal from the Eagle…

"Jun, use your radar and pinpoint his location!" the Condor ordered the Swan.

"The cavalry's coming, my man." Joe said quietly, hoping that whatever emergency Ken was in the middle of, he could hold on until they got there.

"He's at ten o'clock! Distance, sixty thousand kilometers!" Jun reported. Joe looked over the positioning readout on his control screen.

It seemed that Ken was still in Hontwal, after all.

88888

Red Impulse approached the man in the green uniform. He was only one person among a sea of others wearing the identical garments, yet there was something about him… something effeminate. He was too gentle, too graceful, too… sophisticated… to be a Galactor goon.

Even worse, there was something familiar about him. The Colonel had a sinking feeling about this. But he _had_ to know. He couldn't allow _anything_ to destroy his chance of reclaiming his position with Sosai.

Only that morning, Sosai had contacted Red Impulse again, reminding him that the missile to counter the V2 Plan required his services as a pilot. The alien entity had informed Berg Katse of Red Impulse's true identity, and the purple mutant had been left with instructions to ensure that the Colonel was left to fly the missile into the atmosphere. While Red Impulse was irritated that Berg Katse now knew his secret, he smirked at the thought of the Galactor Leader knowing that the Colonel possessed special talents, useful to Sosai, that his own mutant creation did not.

But in order for Red Impulse to regain Sosai's favor, everything had to proceed perfectly. And if his suspicions were right, the man in the green uniform only a few meters away was about to lay waste to all of his plans.

Gradually, Red Impulse made his way closer to the man, his own borrowed green uniform hiding him well among the sea of goons. Within a few minutes he was sitting next to the Galactor soldier.

"_Ken_?" he whispered angrily.

The man's head snapped up, his expression wary. Red Impulse's heart sank as his fears were confirmed. His idiot son was about to ruin everything!

"Red Impulse?" Ken whispered back, his eyes wide. "I've found you!"

The Colonel snorted. In fact it had been _he_ who had found his son. And he was none too happy about it.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Red Impulse hissed.

"Looking for you!" Ken replied. "I snuck back into the Defense Minister's house, and followed some of his flunkies through the vault door. I knew you would be down here, trying to stop Katse, and I wanted to help."

"You wanted to _help_?" Red Impulse asked incredulously.

"Yes." Ken nodded. "I felt terrible that you were too late to prevent Katse from launching the V2 Missile, because you had come to save me. I figured that the least I could do was to help you put things right."

"This certainly changes things." the Colonel muttered angrily.

"I'm glad I found you." Ken replied happily. "What should I do, now?"

"Wait here!" Red Impulse instructed curtly. "I need to check on something. _Don't move_!" The Colonel made a concerted effort to appear casual as he walked away. He _had_ to get Ken out of there. He couldn't let Gatchaman ruin Sosai's plans. But neither could he let Ken know that Galactor was in control of the missile to counter the V2 Plan. Sosai wanted the UN to surrender, but they would never do so if they knew that Galactor was as unwilling to let the planet be destroyed, as were Earth's citizens.

To make things worse, there was another problem created by Ken's presence here. If Berg Katse discovered the boy hiding under his very nose, then the purple mutant would lose all common sense. The Galactor Leader's psychotic obsession with Gatchaman was well known, and Berg Katse was mentally unstable. It would be just like Katse to use the V2 Termination Missile to destroy the Eagle instead of having it fulfill its intended purpose, without first considering the implications of his actions.

The Colonel _had_ to get Ken out of here.

Red Impulse considered his options. The only one that he could think of was to get Katse alone and convince him to move up the missile launch to _right now_… but that still didn't solve the problem of Ken's presence here, in the base.

He looked back at the source of his annoyance, only to see his son fiddling with his left wrist.

His left wrist… where he wore his transformation bracelet…

Why that idiotic son of a bitch! He was signaling the rest of the Science Ninja Team! Ken had just pulled them out of the frying pan and into the fire.

And to make matters worse, Berg Katse had noticed the boy. The purple mutant was stalking over toward the Colonel's son, accompanied by the Defense Minister, his usual superior smirk on his face. He spoke to Ken, but Red Impulse was unable to hear what was being said. He moved closer…

But just as he got close enough to hear what was happening, Berg Katse pulled out a pistol and unloaded his clip into Ken's body. The green figure twitched and stumbled back toward the wall as it was riddled with bullets.

But to Red Impulse's astonished eyes, the green uniform fell to the floor, clearly empty.

Perhaps Ken had learned one or two of his father's tricks, after all.

"What the hell?" Berg Katse swore, examining the garment, even as the sound of laughter came from above.

"Over here, Berg Katse!"

The White Shadow had blown his cover completely by announcing his presence. Red Impulse groaned. The shit had truly hit the fan now. The purple mutant would go crazy, seeing his nemesis here. The Colonel had to ensure that everything went according to Sosai's plans. This was his one chance to regain the alien entity's favor, and he wasn't about to see it go down the drain.

"Gatchaman!" Katse spat. "How the hell were you able to get in here?"

"You forget?" Ken bragged. "The White Shadow steals close without showing its true form!" He leapt down from his perch, taking out a few of the goons as he landed.

"Time for your world to come crashing down, you Rat." Ken sneered weakly.

"Watch your mouth, Gatchaman!" Katse raged, aiming his reloaded pistol at Ken. "Soon the entire world will surrender to Galactor, and then I win!"

"That's not going to happen, Katse." Ken postured. "I'm taking your missile with me!"

"What?" Katse cried, just as Ken's boot connected with his jaw. But rather than take advantage of his offensive superiority, the Colonel's son showed off, dancing around uselessly and allowing his opponent to regroup.

"What are you waiting for?" Katse shouted at the remaining goons in the area. "Get him!" Of course, despite their numbers, the combat expertise of the average Galactor soldier was nearly nonexistent, and even Ken had an easy time defeating the green-uniformed troops that attacked him.

"That's it!" Ken smirked. "I've never hated you bastards more than I do now. Don't any of you have families of your own? You took advantage of my desire to see my father. You're not even human! "

Oh crap! He had to step in, _now_. What the hell was Ken thinking, making a statement like that? If Berg Katse put two and two together, any chance Red Impulse had of regaining his position with Sosai would be shot to Hell.

"Don't come near me!" Ken raged, his anger out of control. "Don't even think about it! If you do, you're dead men!"

Of course, this didn't stop Berg Katse from trying. He sent another two squadrons of goons at Ken, including one armed with some kind of ridiculous spiked shields. Even Red Impulse's weakling son was able to easily overcome such a cumbersome weapon.

"What are you idiots doing?" Katse ranted. "It's all of you against one! Even Gatchaman has got to have weaknesses!" For a brief moment, Red Impulse was almost glad Ken had shown up. He had never seen Berg Katse so flustered and enraged, and it was an amusing thing to behold.

Unfortunately, even the greatest of amusements had to come to an end. This was getting out of control. Katse was forgetting about Sosai's directives, and endangering the Colonel's objective. Reluctantly, Red Impulse raised his gun to point at Katse's head, even as the purple mutant was ordering his men to fire upon Ken.

"Wait! Don't shoot!" the Colonel ordered.

"What are you doing?" Katse appeared to be ill at ease. "Don't you know what happens to traitors?" Briefly, a surge of rage passed through Red Impulse at the Galactor Leader's remark, but just as quickly it passed, as he realized that Berg Katse actually had no idea who was holding a gun to his head. Sosai's idiotic mutant truly saw him as a mutinous goon.

"You know, Berg Katse, you're not the only one with a talent for disguise." the Colonel smirked.

"That voice…" Katse exclaimed, his words ragged.

"That's right! I'm Red Impulse!" the Colonel declared. He didn't want there to be any confusion as to his identity when they made their report to Sosai.

"And I'm taking you down!" he added for Ken's benefit. "My men have rescued the President and helped him to a top-secret location." This, at least, was true, but completely irrelevant. Once Galactor was in control of the planet, the Hontwal President's fate would be sealed.

But the Galactor Leader was apparently stunned. Berg Katse did not respond to the Colonel's words.

"All right, Katse!" Red Impulse demanded, attempting to prod the purple mutant into action. "How about you take off your mask now?"

"Do you want to see my face that much?" Katse cackled. His red–gloved hand reached toward his mouth, and the Colonel saw the Galactor Leader spit something into his fingers. He was therefore not completely unprepared when Berg Katse turned around, throwing the small object at the floor.

"Take a look!" Katse screeched, a swirl of blue smoke filling the air.

Red Impulse pulled back, avoiding the toxic gas, but Ken coughed and choked while Berg Katse made good his escape. The Defense Minister scrambled to keep up with the Galactor Leader, and it was only the corpulent man's surprising agility that allowed him to reach the elevation platform at the same time as the purple mutant.

"I have no problem giving you that missile, Gatchaman." Katse smirked, rising upward as the smoke cleared. "But you should know that it won't go anywhere without a pilot. So unless one of you decides to sacrifice yourself, the Earth is doomed!" Red Impulse did his best to mirror Ken's expression of shock as this information was revealed.

But the Galactor Leader's triumphant laughter was interrupted by the sound of screeching metal, and the red-tipped nose of the God Phoenix burst into the room, tearing through the walls as if they were made of paper.

The Defense Minister was knocked off of the elevation platform, and the Colonel's weakling son had to turn his head away, rather than watch the man die when he hit the metal floor. What was wrong with this kid?

Berg Katse threw himself away from the God Phoenix, grabbing ahold of a tiny ledge on the wall. The purple mutant clung to the small handhold, a potentially fatal drop below him.

"Damn meddling mongrels!" Katse swore. The Colonel agreed. Those idiots! They had interrupted at a crucial moment! Berg Katse _had_ to get away and confirm to Sosai that Red Impulse had done his part! Quickly, the Colonel looked around. The surveying platform the Galactor Leader had used to examine the missile's construction was positioned up at the ceiling. Surreptitiously, Red Impulse moved over toward the panel that controlled the platform. His fingers pressed lightly on the start button, and the platform began slowly moving in Berg Katse's direction.

The other four members of the Science Ninja Team stood on the bow of their warship, sneering down at Katse as he struggled to hold onto his precarious perch.

"This time, Galactor _will_ prevail!" the purple mutant cried, catapulting his body across the short distance to the now-close surveying platform. "Gatchaman, Galactor has not given up on conquering the Earth. We'll be back! We'll be back no matter what!!"

The Science Ninjas watched, astounded, as the Galactor Leader got away beneath their very noses. The Condor looked as if he might follow, but the Swan put a hand on his arm and said something to him. The man nodded, and then all four members of Ken's team glided down to the floor of the Launching Bay.

"Listen up, Team!" Red Impulse said loudly, his clear voice commanding everyone's attention. "It's just as that pointy-eared freak said. The missile can't possibly launch without somebody piloting it. So, I'll count on you to carry on." There. That should be enough to satisfy them, and he could accomplish the task that Sosai had set for him. He moved toward the ramp that led into the missile's cockpit.

"Hey!" Ken shouted. "Wait just a minute! What do you think you're doing?"

Red Impulse groaned softly. Even now, with the fate of the Earth supposedly at stake, his son couldn't just let it go, could he? This pathetic whelp of his was going to make things difficult for him. But then, wasn't that what he had been doing since the day he had been born? Why should this occasion be any different?

"If giving my life will save the Earth, then so be it." the Colonel said to the astounded boy. Hopefully even someone as unintelligent as Ken would understand the concept of self-sacrifice for a noble cause. It was the best card the Colonel could play.

"No, please!" Ken protested. "Let me go, instead! After all, it's my fault that everything has to come to this!"

In a way, the boy was right. Red Impulse would have stopped Berg Katse from launching the V2 Missile in the first place had he not been delayed from doing so by having to rescue his captured son. Of course, that had been _before_ Sosai had asked Red Impulse for assistance… before the Colonel had understood that he still had a chance to stand by his alien Master's side.

But as much as Red Impulse would have loved to see his son throw his life away in this pointless endeavor, he was unable to allow such a thing to happen. Sosai had insisted that _he_ pilot the Termination Missile, and the Colonel could not presume to know exactly what Sosai wanted done with the rocket, once it had been launched. To send his son on the missile now was to risk Sosai's anger.

And he could not afford that.

"Stay out of this, kid!" the Colonel snorted.

"What the hell?" Ken screamed angrily, suddenly lunging at Red Impulse and pulling on his crimson uniform. "Why do you always treat me like a child? I'm a grown man!"

Ken's whining was really getting on Red Impulse's nerves. The boy thought he was a man? What a laugh! He had never acted more childish than he was doing at this moment, throwing a tantrum because he wasn't the one who was going to get to play the hero. The Colonel was preparing to smack his son hard enough to send him sprawling to the ground, when the Swan suddenly cried out.

"Ken! Stop it! That man is your father!"

Of all the damned bloody inconvenient times for such a… what the hell was that idiot Nambu doing? Did _everyone_ know his secrets now? The only saving grace to this was that all of the Galactor personnel had gone, or were dead. No one was going to carry _this_ particular tidbit back to Sosai.

"You mean that he's…?" Ken's mouth was agape, and the expression of slack-jawed astonishment on his son's face nearly caused the Colonel to scream in frustration. This was hardly the time for a 'father/son reunion'! Sosai was waiting, and Red Impulse would have the alien entity's anger to answer to if he didn't leave _now_!

He had to get this over with as quickly as possible, while still preserving what little cover he had left as an agent of the UN.

"Dr. Nambu told us everything, Ken." the Swan babbled on. "The man in front of you, the Commander of Red Impulse, is your father! He's your Dad!"

Red Impulse shut out the girl's inane chatter, focusing instead on how he could get out of there in the fastest time possible. He grabbed his son's arms, ready to push him away, if necessary.

"You're… my Dad?" Ken asked hopefully, his large, effeminate eyes brimming with tears.

"Ken…" the Colonel sighed. What could he possibly say? That he was disappointed in the pathetic weakling his son had turned out to be? That he was glad to be rid of the boy, once Sosai had embraced him again? Words failed him, and he attempted to create his own tears, in an effort to appear as convincing as possible.

"It was you… all this time… right in front of me…" Ken whimpered.

"Ken, I thought it would be for the best if I left without letting you know." Red Impulse said firmly. This, at least, was true. He bowed his head, forcing out his crocodile tears.

"I couldn't have done anything for you as a father." the Colonel said, luring the boy into a false sense of security. "But now there's something I can do."

He reached out, grabbing Ken by the shoulder and the leg, lifting him up above his head. Damn, this felt good! Finally, he would be able to take out his frustrations on his son! He had had far too few chances to do so in the boy's miserable life.

Red Impulse turned briskly in a circle, again and again, building up momentum before stretching out his arms and releasing his son, sending Ken flying across the room, only to land in an undignified heap on the floor.

"I didn't want this kind of goodbye." the Colonel admitted. "It hurts to leave you like this, but I've got no choice." It certainly did hurt! How he wanted to tell Ken what he _really_ thought of him! Yet not only was there no time, but such a thing would potentially make him less useful in Sosai's eyes, as he would have a more difficult time obtaining information from Dr. Nambu in the future if he offended the boy now.

"Stay healthy, and be strong, my son." he said, covering his face with his dark goggles to mask that fact that he was rolling his eyes. He snuck a quick peek at the time. Luck was with him. He would still be able to make Sosai's deadline.

"No, Dad, wait!" Ken cried out, but Red Impulse ignored the boy as he ran up the ramp and into the cockpit of the Termination Missile.

"Don't leave me now!" Ken pleaded like a woman. "Dad! Please don't go!"

"Farewell, Ken!" the Colonel smirked as the hatch closed. He could only hope that this would teach his son something about strength, and being a man. Unfortunately, with a weakling like Nambu for a role model, this lesson would likely be lost.

Red Impulse didn't look back as he initiated the ignition sequence, pulling the Termination Missile out of its docking position and onto the launching pad. He programmed the final sequence, then grinned to himself as the rocket entered into the ocean waters.

He was leaving his son behind, and moving back into Sosai's light.

It was all he had ever wanted.

88888

Joe's mouth fell open as he watched Ken grovel on the floor before the spot where the Galactor missile was now pulling away. He could hardly believe the outpouring of emotion coming from his friend; he had never seen anything like this before. He knew that Ken had always hero-worshipped his absent father, but this… he would never have expected this kind of reaction from the Eagle.

His eyes fell on Jun, who appeared distraught to see Ken so upset. Not that Ken had ever displayed this kind of emotion for her, despite finally admitting to having such feelings when they had thought that she had been burned with the Jigokiller flowers. The Swan took a step toward the Eagle, but then moved back, perhaps understanding that she was unable to comfort him. Instead, she fell into the Condor's arms, and Joe tightened his grip about her, giving her as much strength as he could.

Ken had been gone for days, and when they had received his Birdscramble, Joe had half-expected to find the Eagle in some kind of trouble. Instead, they had arrived just in time to blurt out the truth about Ken's parentage, and witness Gatchaman's resulting emotional breakdown because of it.

Perhaps Ken would have been better off not knowing, as Red Impulse has said. But it was too late for that now.

The Eagle ran out to the edge of the launching pad, even as the rocket was streaming away. The other members of the Science Ninja Team followed, doing their best to maintain a respectful distance.

Ken needed time to grieve.


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue

He had done it! He had left that idiotic ninja team behind and had accomplished this task. Red Impulse was piloting the Termination Missile, which meant that it was under Sosai's control. He would be able to avert the fall of the Van Allen Belt by as much or as little as the alien entity desired.

"Sosai, I have done it!" he cried joyfully in his mind. "I am controlling the missile. Where would you like it to be deployed?"

"Excellent." came Sosai's voice. "For once, you have followed my orders without deviation, Kentaro Washio. You must fly the missile to coordinates X392 by Y624 by Z3000 and detonate it there."

"Sosai, I'm not sure that is possible." Red Impulse replied hesitatingly. He hated denying the alien entity, but the Colonel did not want to promise anything that he was unable to deliver. "That altitude is within the Earth's atmosphere. It is far too high. I would be unable to safely jettison from the missile if I remained inside long enough to ensure its detonation in the precise location that you are specifying."

"What makes you think that I _want_ you to jettison before detonation?"

There was a cold silence for a moment, as Red Impulse fully absorbed what Sosai required of him. And, as it had always been, for as long as he could remember, he knew how he had to respond.

"Whatever you wish, Sosai."

The alien entity did not reply, but Red Impulse knew that his acknowledgment had been heard. Sosai would never leave anything like this to chance.

Grimly, he set his course, the missile passing up into the atmosphere and beyond the point of no return. His life flashed before his eyes and briefly, he thought of his son and of what might have been, if Ken had been able to come with him to join Sosai, at his father's side. If he had joined Galactor as a boy, his son might have grown strong and hard, rather than weak and soft. Ken might have been a credit to the Washio name, rather than an insult to its memory.

"Ken…" he sighed, his voice full of regret.

But there was one thing he could not regret. He was doing the bidding of the one whom he loved most in the universe. If he had to die, at least it was in this service, and not in some meaningless battle. He would pass on with the name of his Master on his lips.

As he approached the designated location, Red Impulse initiated the detonation procedure, timing it perfectly so that the missile's blast would move the Van Allen Belt back into the position his Master desired. The countdown was reaching its final progression, and he stared straight ahead at the stars as it wound down to its inevitable conclusion.

_Five… four… three… two… one…_

A flash of white light filled his vision.

"Sosai!"

**End of Part II…**

_Part III coming soon_


End file.
